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THE 

POLAR REGIONS 

OF THE 

WESTERN CONTINENT EXPLORED ; 

EMBRACING a. 

GEOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT 

OP 

ICELAND, GREENLAND, THE ISLANDS OF THE FROZEN SEA, 

AND THE 

NORTHERN PARTS OF THE AMERICAN CONTINENT, 

INCLUDING 

A PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRIES, THE SEAS, IN- 

HABITANTS, AND ANIMALS OF THOSE PARTS OF THE WORLD ; 

ALSO, A MINUTE ACCOUNT OF THE WHALE F1S-UERIES, 

AND THE DANGERS ATTENDING THEM ; 

WITH REMARKABLE ADVENTURES OF SOME OF THE WHALE FISHERS, 

DESCRIPTIONS OF MOUNT HECLA, AND THE OTHER 

VOLCANOES OF ICELAND : 






mwQ : 



m 






Together with the 
ADVENTURES, DISCOVERIES, DANGERS AND TRIALS 

OF 

PARRY, FRANKLIN, LYON, AND OTHER -NAVIGATORS, 

IN THOSE REGIONS. 



BY W. J. SNELLING, 

AUTHOR OF 'TALES OF THE NORTHWEST.' 



ILLUSTRATED BY A MAP AND ENGRAVINGS. 

BOSTON : 
PRINTED FOR W. W. REED. 

1831. 



DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS— to wit : 

District Clerk's Office. 

Be it remembered, That on the fourteenth day of January, A. D. 1831, 
in the Fifty-fifth year of the Independence of the United States of America, 
Samuel G. Goodrich, of the said District, has deposited in this Office the 
Title of a Book, the Right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words fol- 
lowing, to wit: 

" The Polar Regions of the Western Continent explored, embracing a ge- 
ographical account of Iceland, Greenland, the Islands of the Frozen Sea, and 
the northern parts of the American Continent, including a particular descrip- 
tion of the Countries, the Seas, Inhabitants, and Animals of those parts of 
the world ; also a Minute Account of the Whale Fisheries, and the dangers 
attending them ; with remarkable adventures of some of the whale fishers, 
descriptions of Mount Hecla, and the other volcanoes of Iceland ; together 
with the adventures, discoveries, dangers and trials of Parry, Franklin, Lyon 
and other navigators, in those regions. By W. J. Snelling, author of " Tales 
of the Northwest," illustrated by a Map and Engravings." 

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled 
" An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, 
Chart and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the 
times therein mentioned:" and also to an Act entitled "An Act supplemen- 
tary to an Act, entitled, an Act for the encouragement of learning, by secur- 
ing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books to the authors and proprietors of 
such copies during the times therein mentioned; and extending the benefits 
thereof to the arts of designing, engraving and etching historical and other 
prints." 

JNO. W. DAVIS, Clerk of the District of Massachusetts. 






PREFACE. 



Long prefaces are seldom read, and therefore the author, 
or rather compiler, of the following pages will confine his re- 
marks to an explanation of the plan and scope of his work. 

The data from which our knowledge of the northern regions 
is derived are already before the world. Crantz has made us 
acquainted with Greenland, Parry with the northeastern coast 
of this continent, and Franklin with the interior. Yet the re- 
sults of their labors are preserved in a form which precludes the 
majority of readers from profiting by their observations. The 
voyages of Captain Parry, for example, as they have heretofore 
been published, fill several large volumes, and the same may be 
said of the travels of Captain Franklin and his coadjutors. 

The object of this work, therefore, is, as its title implies, to 
give the reader a condensed account of what is known of the 
northern regions of the new world, from the latest and best au- 
thorities. To this end the compiler has availed himself of the 
writings of Henderson, Crantz, Parry, Franklin, Richardson, 
Kotzebue, and others, and, in many instances, has used their 
very words. He does not pretend to say all that may be said, 
nor to record every adventure of the enterprising travellers ; but 
he trusts that he has omitted nothing essential to a knowledge 
of the regions he describes, as far as they are known. Whatev- 
er has appeared to him worthy of commemoration, he has set 
down ; but unimportant details have been omitted. 

Whether the task prescribed in these premises has been well 
or ill performed, it is certain that no work on this plan, or un- 
dertaken with the same object, has yet appeared. Such as the 
book is, it is now presented to those by whom it must be judged. 



CONTENTS. 



ICELAND. 



CHAPTER I. 

Of the Geographical Situation of Iceland. — Its Discovery and Colonization. — 
Patriarchal Government of the early Settlers. — The Icelandic Republic. — 
Its Government. — Code of Ulfliot. — Code of Bergthor. — The Jonsbok. — 
Conversion of the Icelanders. — Subjugation of Iceland to Norway. — Legal 
Punishments. — Present Government of Iceland. — Attempted Revolution 
in 1805. — Page 1 

CHAPTER II. 

Geologic Character of Iceland. — Volcanoes and Ice Mountains. — Mount Hecla. 
— Eruption of Skaptar Yokul. — Its Consequences. — Skaptar Yokul. 9 

CHAPTER III. 

Situation of the Geysers. — Description of the Great Geyser. — Its Eruption. — 
The Strockr. — The Old Strockr, — The little Geyser: — Hot springs at va- 
rious Places. — Mountains. — Orrefa Yokul. — Crater of Krabla. - 17 

CHAPTER IV. 

The cave of Surtshellir. — Towns and Settlements. Reykiavik Videy. — Dru- 
idical Circle at Thingvalla. — Holum, — Akur Egri. — Population of Ice- 
land. — Religion and Form of Church Government. — Clergy. — Education. 
— School at Bessastad. — Icelandic Literature. — Runic Poetry. — Death Song 
of Regner Lodbrok. 24 

CHAPTER V. 

Personal Appearance of the Icelanders. — Character, Language, and Literature. 
^Dress of the Males. — Dress of the Females. - - - 34 

CHAPTER VI. 

Cold in Iceland. — Polar Ice. — Winter. — Summer. — The Fishery. — Summer, 
Occupation of the Icelanders. — Occupation of the Women. — Treatment of 
Strangers.— Pastoral Life. — Houses of the Icelanders. — A Winter Eve- 
ning in Iceland. — Horses. — Reindeer. — Visit to the Trading Houses. — 
Exports and Imports. ------ 41 

CHAPTER VII. 

Miscellaneous Particulars. — Of the Mineral Kingdom in Iceland. — Vegeta- 
bles. — Drift Wood. — Sketch of Spitzbergen. - - - 50 



VI CONTENTS. 



GREENLAND. 

CHAPTER I. 

General Geographic Features of the Coast of Greenland. — Of the Western 

Coast. — Of the Eastern Coast. — Fredericshaab. — The Ice Blink. — Gothaab 

Disko Bay. — Lievely. - - - - - 57 

CHAPTER II. 

Of the Polar Ice. — Changes in its Position. — Its present Position. — Technical 
Names of the different Kinds of Ice. — Dangers from Icebergs. — Manner of 
taking the Whale. .... 65 

CHAPTER III. 

Early History of the Whale Fishery. — Of the Manner in which a Whale 
Ship is manned. — The Crow's Nest. — Whale Boats. — Implements used in 
the Whale Fishery. — Whale Killing. — Danger of Striking. - 77 

CHAPTER IV. 

Farther Account of Whale Killing. — Length of Time required to kill a Whale. 
— Character of the Whalemen. — Anecdotes of the Greenland Fishery. 82 

CHAPTER V. 

Account of the Discovery of Greenland. — Early History. — America discovered 
by Icelanders. — Greenlandic Colony in America. — First Appearance of the 
Esquimaux. — Black Death and Loss of Greenland. — Attempts at Redis- 
covery and Recolonization. — Greenland recolonized by Hans Egede. 89 

CHAPTER VI. 

Climate of Greenland. — Seasons and Weather. — Length of Days and Nights. — 
Flora of Greenland, — Greenlandic Gardens. — General Remarks. — Voyage 
of Captain Ross. ...... 96 

CHAPTER VII. 

Of the Uskecs, or Aboriginal Inhabitants of Greenland. — Their physical 
Characteristics. — Dress. — Their Relations with other Tribes. — Progress 
in Religion and Civilization. — Intercourse with Europeans. — Knowledge in 
Trade. — Form of Society. ..... 104 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Occupations of the Uskees. — Uses of the Whale. — Manner of spending 
the Winter. — Manner of spending the Summer. — Manner of catching 
Seals. — Enjoyments of the Uskees. — Language. - - -111 



CONTENTS. VII 



CAPTAIN PARRY'S FIRST VOYAGE. 

CHAPTER I. 

Object of Parry's First Voyage. — Equipment of the Expedition. — Passage up 
Davis's Straits. — Embarrassment in the Ice. - - - 119 

CHAPTER II, 

Farther Detention in the Ice. — Whales. — Arrival at Lancaster's Sound. — 
Land about Possession Bay. — New Lands discovered. — The Vessels are 
again stopped by the Ice. ..... 129 

CHAPTER III. 

Cape Seppings discovered. — Near Approach to the Magnetic Pole. — Unfa- 
vorable Position of the Ice. — Appearance of. Prince Regent's Inlet. — Port 
Bowen. - - - - - - - - 136 

CHAPTER IV. 

Appearance of the Land about Jackson's Bay. — Favorable Prospect to the 
Westward. — Gascoyne's Inlet discovered. — Farther Discoveries. — Bar- 
row's Strait. - - - - - - , 144 

CHAPTER V. 

Further Progress of the Expedition. — New Discoveries. — Bathurst's Island. — 
Novel Expedient in Navigation. .... 14§ 

CHAPTER VI. 

Some Description of the Shores of Melville Island. — The Ships' Companies 
win the Premium for penetrating to Longitude 110° West from Green- 
wich. — Bay of the Hecla and Griper. — Farther Proceedings. — Loss and 
Sufferings of a Hunting Party. .... 155 

CHAPTER VII. 

The Ships return to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, and take up a Po- 
sition for the Winter. — Proceedings at Winter Harbor. — Internal Ar- 
rangements of the Ships. - - - - - 161 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Mode of serving out Provisions and Fuel. — Theatre. — Weekly Newspaper. — 
Emigration of the Reindeer. — A White Bear. — Intense Cold. 168 

CHAPTER IX. 

Opening of the Theatre. — Wolves and White Foxes. — Measures to obviate 
the Effects of the Cold.— Mode of Passing the Time. 175 



Ylll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. 

Scenery of Winter Harbour. — Optical Deception. — Employments of Offi- 
cers and Men. — Theatrical Entertainments. — Night and Day. 180 

CHAPTER XI. 

Christmas. — Scurvy breaks out on board the Hecla. — Extreme Cold. — The 
Sun seen. — Conflagration on Shore. — Extraordinary Accumulation of 
Vapor. — Sudden Change of Weather. ... 187 

CHAPTER XII. 

Return of the Migratory Animals to Melville Island. — Snow Blindness. — 
The Hecla freed from the Ice. — Gardening. — Journey to explore Mel- 
ville Island. - 193 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Progress of the Season. — State of the Ice. — Damage received by the Rud- 
ders of the Ships. ------ 199 

CHAPTER XIV. 

A Boat passes between the Ships and the Shore. — Maximum Heat at Mel- 
ville Island. — The Vessels are made ready for Departure. — They 
weigh Anchor. — Departure from Winter Harbour. — Are stopped by the 
Ice. — Description of a Part of the Shore. ... 205 

CHAPTER XV. 

Dangerous Position of the Hecla. — Submarine Ice. — Curious Wall. — Dan- 
ger of the Griper. — A Whale seen. — Discovery of Banks's Land. — De- 
tention by the Ice. — A Musk-Ox killed. — The Ice closes on the Shore. 
212 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Average Thickness of the Ice. — Observations on the State of the Ice. — 
Farther Detention. — Appearances of this Part of Melville Island. — 
Great Peril of the Griper. — The Griper ordered to retrograde. 219 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Hecla moves again. — Position of the Ships. — They move to the 
Eastward. — Abandonment of the Westward Course. — Musk Oxen. — 
Retrograde Passage. ...... 224 

CHAPTER XVII. 

The Ships explore the West Shore of Baffin's Bay. — Meet Vessels from Eng- 
land. — Esquimaux at the river Clyde. — Their Behaviour. - 230 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Intercourse with the Esquimaux. — Manner of Embarking and Disembarking 
in Canoes. — Esquimaux Tents. — Mode of Barter. — Stature and Appearance 
of the Esquimaux - - - - - - 236 



CONTENTS. IX 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Dress of the Esquimaux. — Description of their Tents. — Description of their 
Canoes. — Implements used in the Fishery. — Their Sledges. — Esquimaux 
Dogs, — Their Voracity. — Household Economy. - - 244 

CHAPTER XX. 

Farther Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — Their Number. — Health. 
— Demeanour. — Return of the Expedition to England. - 250 



CAPTAIN PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE. 

CHAPTER I. 

The Hecla and Fury fitted out. — They reach Davis's Strait. — Difficulties 
in the Ice. — The Ships are visited by Esquimaux. — Their Behaviour. 254 

CHAPTER II. 

Offensive Conduct of the Esquimaux. — Description of the Savage Islands. 
— Ships make the Coast of Labrador. — More Esquimaux. - 260 

CHAPTER III. 

The Ships make the Northern Land, Southampton Island, Frozen Strait. — 
The Ice begins to make. — The Ship gets into Winter Quarters. — Shrimps. 
— Foxes. — A Theatre is opened. — The Northern Lights. - - 263 

CHAPTER IV. 
Repulse Bay. — Frozen Strait. — Captain Lyon makes a Journey. — Appearance 
of the Coast. — Interview with a Party of Esquimaux. - - 269 

CHAPTER V. 

Ice begins to make. — The Ships get into Winter Quarters. — Shrimps. — Foxes. 
— A Theatre opened. — Northern Lights. — Esquimaux. - - 278 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Esquimaux visit the Ships. — Wolves. — More Particulars relating, to the 
Esquimaux. — Manner of constructing Snow Huts. - - 285 

CHAPTER VII. 

Esquimaux. — Musical Concert. — An Esquimau whipped for Theft. — Starva- 
tion. — Captain Parry accompanies a Sealing Party. - - 294 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Danger of the Seal Hunters. — A Seal Hole. — Manner of Watching Seal 
Holes. — Manner of Catching Seals and Walrusses. — Another Instance of 
Theft. — Ferocity of the Wolf. — Esquimaux Dwellings. — Seals killed. — 
Seal Butchery.— Seals, - « « - « - 300 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IX. 

Health of the Esquimaux. — Their envious Disposition. — Captain Lyon's 
•Tourney. — Removal of Esquimaux, &c. — Captain Parry lodges with 
the Savages. - - - - - - - 307 

CHAPTER X. 

Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — Dissection of the Seal. — Prepara- 
tions for Departure. — Behaviour of a sick Savage. - - 313 

CHAPTER XI. 

Captain Lyon's Journey. — Departure of the- Esquimaux. — Progress of the 
Season. — The Ships put to Sea. — Description of Winter Island. — Ca- 
taract on Barrow's River. — Walrusses killed. — The Ships reach Igloo- 
lik. — Igloolik and other Islands. — Strait of the Fury and Hecla. 319 

CHAPTER XII. 

Physical Character of the Esquimaux.— Costume. — Female Avocations. — 
Sledges, Dogs, Weapons, &c. — Manner of killing Deer and Musk 
Oxen. 329 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Travelling. — Marriages. — Treatment of Children. — Theology. — Honesty.-*- 
Dcggary. — Ingratitude. — Hospitality. — Lying and Slander. — Courage. — 
The Ships return to England. ..... 33ft 



CAPTAIN PARRY'S THIRD VOYAGE. 

The Ships leave England, and arrive at Disko Island. — The Ice crossed. — 
Arrival at Lancaster's Sound. — Port Bowen. — Aurora Borealis. — Ani- 
mals. — Farther Proceedings. — The Fury wrecked. — Return to Eng- 
land. 343 



CAPTAIN FRANKLIN'S TRAVELS. 

CHAPTER I. 

Object of Captain Franklin's Journe}'. — His Instructions. — Captain Franklin 
arrives at Hudson's Bay. — York Factory. — Swampy Crees. — Departure 
from York Factory. — Tracking. — Indian Anecdote. — Steel River. — Route 
of the party up Hill River. — Arrival at Lake Winnipeg. - 35Q 



CONTENTS. XI 

CHAPTER II. 

The Saskatchawayn. — Arrival at Cumberland House.— Sufferings of the In- 
dians.— First of January. — Bois Brules.— Departure of Captain Franklin. — 
Cumberland House. — Vegetable Kingdom. — Animals. — The Naheeowak. 
358 

CHAPTER III. 

Snow Shoes.— Dog Sledges.— Travelling Dress.— Mai a Raquette.— Pemican. 
— Sagacity of "Wolves. — Arrival at Carlton House. — Assinneboins. — 
Their War Parties.— Dressing Skins.— A Pound for catching Buffaloes. 367 

CHAPTER IV. 

Running the Buffalo.— Still Hunting.— Carlton House.— Goitres. — A Dead 
Body. — Isle a la Crosse. — Buffalo Lake. — Pierre au Calumet. — Arrival at 
Fort Chippewyan. — Return of Spring. .... 377 

CHAPTER V. 

News from Great Slave Lake. — Voyageurs engaged. — Fort Chippewyan 
- — Lake of the Hills. — Chippewyan Tribe. — Their Dress. — Character. — 
Vanity. — Opinions. — Customs. — Abandonment of their Sick. — A Birch 
Canoe. ___.---- 385 

CHAPTER VI. 

An Accident.— Arrival of Dr Richardson. — Arrangements for Departure. — 
Departure. — Portages. — A Buffalo killed. — The Party arrive at Great 
•Slave Lake. — At Fort Providence. — Conference with Al&itcho. 393 

CHAPTER VII. 

Akaitcho.^-Preparations for the Journey. — Fort Providence. — Journey up 
Yellow Knife River. — Want of Food.- --Yellow Knife River. — Mutiny of 
the Voyageurs. — The party reach their Winter Quarters. — Conduct of 
Akaitcho. — Departure of Messrs Back and Hood. - - 401 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Trip to the Coppermine. — Foit Enterprise. — Reindeer. — Departure of Messrs 
Back and Wentzel. — Conduct of the Indians. — Frozen Fishes. — News 
from Slave Lake. — Green Stockings. — Temperature. — Diet. — Arrival from 
Slave Lake. — Esquimaux Interpreters. .... 409 

CHAPTER IX. 

Message from the Hook.— Conduct of the Interpreters.--- Akaitcho.— April— 
Suffering of the Indians. — Sliding down Hill.— Advance of the Season. — 
A Supply of Food.— May Weather.— Arrival of Water-Fowl.— Akaitcho 
arrives.-- -His Conduct. - - - - 416 

CHAPTER X. 

Captain Franklin's Reply to Akaitcho. — The Copper Indians. — Keskarrah. — 
Marriages. — Wars. — Numbers. — The Dog-Ribs. — Their Character. — Res- 
idence and Numbers. — The Hare Indians. — The duarrellers.— Other 
Tribes. — Behaviour of Akaitcho. — The first Party leaves Fort Enterprise. 
423 



Xll CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XI. 

Captain Franklin leaves Fort Enterprise.— Sufferings of the Men. — The 
Coppermine.— Musk Oxen killed.— The Hook.— Portage to Great 
Bear Lake.— Rapids. ---The Copper Mountains.-— The Interpreters con- 
verse with the Esquimaux.— Flight of the Esquimaux.— The Esqui- 
maux seen again.— An old Savage. .... 431 

CHAPTER XII. 

Terregannuck and his People.— More Esquimaux.— The Copper Indians 
turn back.— The Party proceed along the Coast, and finally turn back. 
—Hood's River.— Journey across the Barren Grounds.— Sufferings of 
the Party.— Tripe de Roche.— The River Anatessy. - 438 

CHAPTER XIII. 
A Musk-Ox killed. — The Party come to a Lake and cross a River.— Dan- 
ger of Belanger.— They reach Point Lake.— The Canoe left.— They 
arrive at the Coppermine.-— Adventure of Dr Richardson.-— Efforts to 
cross.— Fate of Credit and Vaillant.— Dr Richardson stops.— Dreadful 
Sufferings of the Party. ..... 445 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Perrault turns back. — Fontano is lost. — Captain Franklin reaches Fort 
Enterprise. — Misery of the Party. — Dr Richardson and Hepburn reach 
Fort Enterprise.— The Crimes of Michel.— Murder of Mr Hood.— Mi- 
chel is put to Death. — Subsequent Progress of Dr Richardson and 
Hepburn. ....... 454 

CHAPTER XV. 

Death of Peltier and Samandre. — Extreme Weakness of the Survivors. — 
Their Intellects become, weak. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Proceed- 
in o-s. — More Indians arrive. — Captain Franklin reaches the Camp of 
Akaitcho. — Mr Back's Adventures. — Death of Beauparlant. — End of 
the Journey. ------- 462 

CHAPTER XVII. 

Second Journey of Captain Franklin. — Attack by the Esquimaux. — De- 
scription of the Esquimaux. — Their Women. — Farther Progress. — The 
Expeditionreturns. — Capt. Beechy. — Doctor Richardson's Voyage. — The 
Esquimaux. — Their Huts. — Observations on the Magnetic Pole. 470 



KOTZEBUE'S VOYAGE. 

Arrival of Lieut. Kotzebue at Cape Prince of Wales. — Discovery of a 
fourth Island in the Gwozdeff Group. — Dwellings of the Natives.— 
Conduct of the Savages.— Appearance of the Land.— The Natives.— 
Ice-Bergs on Land.— Researches in Kotzebue's Sound.— Advantages 
of this Discovery. - - - , - - - 478 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 



Hecla and Griper in Winter Quarters, p. 161. 




Singular Appearance of the Moon. p. ibV. 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 




Shooting Harpoon into a Whale. 




Harpooning a Seal. p. ]\i 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 




Shooting Polar Bear. 




//&< 



Black Bear. 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 




Shooting Walrus ses. 




Indians on the Northwest Coast. 



POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Of the Geographical Situation of Iceland. — Its Discovery and Colonization. — ■ 
Patriarchal Government of the early Settlers. — The Icelandic Republic. — 
Its Government. — Code of Ulfliot. — Code of Bergthor. — The Jonsbok. — 
Conversion of the Icelanders. — Subjugation of Iceland to Norway. — Legal 
Punishments. — Present Government of Iceland. — Attempted Revolution 
in 1805. 

In compiling a work on the Northern Regions of 
America, we hope it will not be thought amiss if we 
begin with Iceland ; though that island has been 
long considered a part of the old world, and was, 
perhaps, the Ultima Thule of the Ancients. Lying as 
it does, much nearer to Greenland than to any part 
of Europe, it is without doubt a natural appendage 
of America. It is also attached to the American 
Continent by Malte Brim, the highest geographical 
authority of the present day. 

It is situated on the verge of the polar circle, 

between 63° 24' and 66° 30' of north latitude ; and 

between 13° 15' and 24° 40' of longitude, west from 

Greenwich. Its length is three hundred, and its 

1 



2 POLAR REGIONS. 

breadth one hundred and fifty miles, nearly ; and it 
has a superficial area of 40,500 square miles. 

The earliest record of the discovery of Iceland 
which may be considered authentic, is contained in 
an ancient work in the Runic tongue, called The 
Landnamabok, or Book of Occupation. According 
to this authority, Naddodd, a famous Norwegian 
pirate, was driven to the shores of Iceland by a 
storm, about the year 860. He found no inhab- 
itants, nor did he attempt a settlement. It is indeed 
stated in the Landnamabok that the island was pre- 
viously settled by Christians from the British Isles ; 
but as they left no traces of their establishments, 
and as the assertion is not supported by reference, 
or other authority, it is fair to conclude, that if the 
British Christians did indeed come thither, they 
were only occasional visitors. 

Four years after, Iceland was again discovered by 
Gardar Svafarson, a Swede ; w T ho circumnavigated 
it, and spent the winter on its shores. The account 
he gave of it on his return, induced Floki, another 
Norwegian pirate, to attempt a settlement. He 
sailed from the Faro Islands, and supplied the want 
of the compass by dismissing ravens from his ship, 
and directed his course by their flight. He settled 
at Vatnsfiord, but devoting too much of his time to 
the fisheries, his crops failed, and the cattle he had 
brought with him died in consequence. He passed 
the winter on the island, gave it the name of Ice- 
land, or the country of Ice, and then abandoned it 
forever. 

The companions of Floki gave very favorable 



POLAR REGIONS. 3 

accounts of the natural advantages of the island. 
They depicted it as a terrestrial paradise, and 
to express his satisfaction more forcibly, one ot 
them averred that ' butter dropped from every plant' 
it produced. 

In 870, Ingolf and Hiorleif, two Norwegians, 
wintered on the island, and on their return to Nor- 
way took measures to plant a colony, which they 
effected in 874. On their near approach to the 
shore, Ingolf threw the timber he had brought to 
construct a dwelling into the sea, and made a vow 
that he would build his house wherever it floated 
on shore. It came to land near Reykiavik, the 
present capital of Iceland. 

To escape the usurping tyranny of Harold Har- 
fager, the then king of Norway, many of the petty 
princes of that part of Scandinavia fled to Iceland 
In a short time the entire coast was occupied by 
their dependants and followers, and Harold, to pre- 
vent the depopulation of his realms, was obliged to 
impose a heavy fine on such as should leave Nor- 
way for Iceland. 

In 928 the Icelanders erected a regular republic. 
They divided their island into four quarters, or di- 
visions, over each of which a chief magistrate, elect- 
ed by the free suffrages of the people, presided 
Each quarter was subdivided into three prefectures, 
or sheriffdoms, governed, severally, by an officer 
whose duty it was to preserve order, to call assem- 
blies to try causes, to preside in such assemblies, 
and to see the punishments they awarded carried 
into effect. The prefectures were again divided 



4 POLAR REGION^. 

into districts called Hrepps, consisting of such fam- 
ilies as resided in the same neighbourhood, and 
much resembling the hundreds of the Anglo Saxons. 
Over each of these a Hreppstiori, or headborough, 
was appointed, who was bound by his office to take 
care of the poor of his own district, to prevent their 
number from increasing, and to preside over inferior 
courts, each of which was to consist of four land- 
holders. Such affairs as could not be settled in 
these courts were to be carried before the sheriff's 
court, to which the Hreppstiori were amenable. In 
extraordinary cases, there was an appeal to a court 
formed of deputies from the four quarters, but this 
court only assembled in cases of extreme emer- 
gency. 

Lastly, there was a final court of appeal, called 
The Althing, or General Assembly of the Nation, 
held annually, and which sat sixteen days. In this 
assembly the laws of the nation were enacted, and 
here all differences were finally adjusted. The 
presiding officer was termed the Publisher of the 
Law, and his judgment, when confirmed by the peo- 
ple, was decisive. He was elected by the people, 
and commonly held his office for life. He had the 
custody of the standard copy of the laws. He had 
power to reverse the sentences of inferior magis- 
trates, and of punishing them, on sufficient proof of 
malversation in office. So much importance did 
the Icelanders attach to this officer, that they com- 
puted time from the date of his administration. 

In 927, Ulfliot, a learned Icelander, offered a 
code which he had prepared, to the acceptance of 



POLAR REGIONS. 5 

the General Assembly. It was adopted, and be- 
came the statute law of the island. At the same 
time, Thingvalla, having been confiscated to the use 
of the nation, became the permanent seat of the 
Althing. 

This code was an abstract of the laws then in 
force in Norway. In 1118 it was superseded by 
an improved code by Bergthor, then Publisher of 
the Law, and this code, in 1280, gave place to 
another, called Jonsbok, which obtains, in most in- 
stances, to this day. 

Thus did a number of free persons, many of 
whom had been princes, establish a government as 
liberal in its principles as any that ever existed. 
They enacted laws that have been pronounced by 
competent judges admirably calculated to protect 
individual rights and privileges, and every way adapt- 
ed to their peculiar circumstances. This state of 
things continued four hundred years, and was at 
last subverted by intestine broils and bloody quar- 
rels, fomented and encouraged by the kings of Nor- 
way. 

One attempt was made to introduce Christianity 
into Iceland, a little more than a century after its 
colonization. In 981, a Norwegian pirate brought 
over a bishop, and acted as interpreter to his mis- 
sionary labors. They did not fully succeed, more 
especially as the pious pirate had, in the excess of 
his zeal, slain two of the heathen bards for satirizing 
the rites of his new faith; but they persuaded the 
Icelanders to refuse to pay the customary tax to 
support the worship of Thor and Odin. A few re- 



6 POLAR REGIONS. 

ceived baptism, and a church was built, though not 
without much opposition. 

Other missionaries were sent by Olave, king of 
Norway, but they only served as marks for the 
satire of the Runic poets. Such as they did con- 
vert were fined, and at last w r ere banished from Ice- 
land. 

Persecution had its usual effect. The Christians 
gained ground, and in the year 1000 they obtained, 
after a hard struggle, that their worship should be 
tolerated. In the course of time, the whole of the 
population embraced Christianity. In 1551, the 
doctrines of Luther were fully introduced among 
them, and are still the ground of their faith, though 
a small number of the Icelandic clergy are Socinians. 

Haco succeeded in subjugating the island. In 
1261 the greater part of the people became tributa- 
ry to him, and the rest submitted four years after. 
Even in their submission the Icelanders preserved 
the spirit of a free people, for the changes intro- 
duced by Norway were slight, and no foreign mili- 
tary force ever set foot on the island. They stipu- 
lated that they should retain their ancient rights 
and laws ; that King Haco should be bound to con- 
tinue the importation of the necessary articles of 
foreign produce, and that they should be governed 
by an Earl expressly appointed for that purpose. If 
the King of Norway should fail to fulfil these con- 
ditions, they were free to withdraw their allegiance. 

In 1800 the venerable Althing was abrogated, and 
a supreme court substituted in its room at Reyki- 
avik, consisting of a Chief Justice, two Assessors, and 



POLAR REGIONS. 7 

a Secretary. This court meets once a month, and 
decides on criminal and other cases ; but the 
Icelanders have the privilege of appealing from its 
decisions to the high court in Denmark. In ancient 
times, scarcely any other than pecuniary punish- 
ments obtained. Criminals were fined in a certain 
number of marks, each of which amounted to rather 
more than an ounce of fine silver, and was equal to 
fortyeight ells of woollen cloth ; but as this mode 
of punishment was found ineffectual to the preven- 
tion of crime, the laws became gradually more 
severe, and at last capital punishments were intro- 
duced. Hanging was the mode inflicted for mur- 
ders, drowning for child murder, and burning for 
witchcraft. At present, fines, imprisonment, and 
whipping are the only punishments inflicted in Ice- 
land. Such as are capitally convicted, it is neces- 
sary to send over to Copenhagen to be beheaded ; 
it being a curious fact that, for some time past, no 
person could be found on the island who would 
execute the sentence of the law. 

At present, Iceland is governed by a Shiftamtman, 
who is appointed by his Danish majesty, and is 
bound to fill this office for the space of five years. 
He is generally one of the younger branches of a 
noble family, has a salary of about £500 per annum, 
and is entitled to preferment on his return to Den- 
mark. He is likewise special governor of the 
southern quarter of the island in which he resides ; 
and has two Amtmen, or deputy governors, one for 
the western, and another for the northern and east- 
ern quarters. These quarters are divided into 



8 POLAR REGIONS. 

syssels or sheriffdoms, the boundaries of which are 
much the same as those fixed in the ancient consti- 
tution; and they are governed by a Sysselman, 
whose office also resembles that of the ancient sher- 
iffs — except that he has a lease of the King's taxes, 
and accounts to the royal treasurer for the amount. 
The syssels are again divided into a number of 
hrepps, each of which is placed under the inspec- 
tion of a hreppstion or constable, answering to the 
bailiff of former times. 

There is besides, another public officer called 
the Landfoged, or steward, who is treasurer or re- 
ceiver-general for the island, and at the same time, 
tax-gatherer of Gullbringe Syssel and police master 
of Reykiavik. 

In 1805, an Icelander, by name Jorgenson, at- 
tempted to revolutionize the island. He made the 
Danish governor prisoner, seized the reins of gov- 
ernment into his own hands, and declared the 
nation independent. Not being supported by the 
British government as he expected, things soon 
reverted to their former state. - 



POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER II. 



Geologic Character of Iceland. — Volcanoes and Ice Mountains. — Mount 
Hecla.— Eruption of Skaptar Yokul.— Its Consequences.— Skaptar Yokul, 

Iceland is a chain of immense rocks, in the struc- 
ture of which trap and basalt predominate. Their 
summits are crowned with snow, though everlasting 
fire burns in their subterranean caverns. Judging 
from its analogy with islands of known volcanic 
origin, and from the appearance of new islands near 
its shores within a century, there is little doubt, that 
it was thrown up by fires burning, perhaps, below 
the bottom of the ocean. 

Tracts of lava traverse the island in every direc- 
tion. The general appearance of the country is the 
most rugged and dreary imaginable* On every 
side are the yawning craters of active or extinguish- 
ed volcanoes, the sources of the surrounding deso- 
lation. As if nature delighted to bring the most 
heterogeneous parts of matter in contact, the burn- 
ing lava often gushes out of a solid mass of ice, and 
carries with it in its devastating course, a torrent 
of hot, muddy water. 

We have neither time nor room to describe the 
tracts which are, or have been, inundated and cov- 
ered with lava. Suffice it to say that the vents 
through which it has flowed are twentynine in 
number, and of these nine are still active ; namely, 
Krabla, Leirhnukr, Biarnarflag, Hitahol, Hecla, 
Kotlugia, Solheima, Oraefa, and Skaptar Yokul. 
These are the principal, but there are besides a 



10 POLAR REGIONS. 

countless number of smaller cones and craters, from 
which streams of liquid flame are, or have been, 
poured on the surrounding regions. 

Celebrated as this island has been for its volca- 
noes and hot springs, it is scarcely less remarkable 
on account of the enormous ice-mountains which 
occupy a vast portion of its surface. To these 
mountains the natives give the name of Yokuls, which 
signify large masses of ice. 

Though covered with coats of ice of immense 
thickness, when the internal parts of the mountains 
become ignited, the mass of ice, or indurated snow. 
is cracked and rent by the explosion which ensues ; 
a great quantity of it is melted by the flames, or the 
exundations of hot water ; and whole fields of ice 
are sometimes deposited on the neighbouring plains. 
Some of these Yokuls are remarkable for their 
vacillation ; not remaining in a settled position, but 
moving forwards and receding again at certain in- 
definite periods. 

Mount Hecla, the most celebrated of the volca- 
noes of Iceland, is neither the highest of its moun- 
tains, nor of the most striking aspect. The Trehern- 
ing or Three Horned Mountain, has a far nobler 
and more picturesque appearance. Many of the 
mountains are higher. It is situated about thirty 
miles back from the coast, and is estimated at 
somewhat near 4000 feet in height. Its summit is 
divided into three peaks, the middle of which is the 
highest. The craters form vast hollows on the 
sides of these peaks, and, according to the last ac- 
counts, are partially filled with snow. The moun- 



POLAR REGIONS. 11 

tain itself consists for the most part of sand and 
slags ; the lava being confined to the lower regions, 
and forming an immensely rugged and vitrified wall 
around its base. From this circumstance it has 
been concluded that the lava has not proceeded 
from the crater at the summit of Hecla, but from 
apertures at no great elevation on its sides. 

Sir George M'Kenzie, Dr Holland, and Mr Bright 
are the last travellers who have ascended Mount 
Hecla. On the 3d of August, 1810, they gained its 
summit, at which time they observed the vapor of 
water ascending from several parts of the middle 
peak, and the heat in the mountain was so intense, 
that on removing a few of the slags from the surface, 
they found those below too hot to be handled ; and 
on placing a thermometer among them, it rose to 
144°. 

This famous volcano without doubt emitted lava 
previous to the settlement of the island. Since 
that date, twentythree of its eruptions are on 
record. They have occurred at intervals of many 
years, and more than sixty have elapsed since the 
last. 

The mos. dreadful volcanic eruption on the re- 
cords of Iceland was not from Hecla, but from Skap- 
tar Yokul. It took place in 1783. To avoid repe- 
tition we shall give an account of it, as an example 
of the calamities which have occurred in the island 
from the same cause, premising that no other ever 
produced more lamentable consequences. 

Till the month of May the season was unu- 
sually fine for the climate, and vegetation was un- 



12 POLAR REGIONS. 

commonly forward. Toward the end of the month 
a light blue smoke, or fog, was seen floating along 
the surface of the earth, but none of the inhabitants 
were alarmed till the first of June, when several 
shocks of earthquake gave warning of what was to 
follow. They continued to increase in violence till 
the eighth. At nine in the evening a black cloud of 
smoke arose in the north, and extended itself over 
the whole district of Sida. On its near approach, 
Sida was involved in darkness, and when the cloud 
hovered directly over it, a shower of sand and ashes 
was discharged, which covered the ground an inch 
deep. Earthquakes, with incessant peals of thun- 
der, and frightful subterraneous noises, continued 
through the whole day. On the tenth, several fire 
spouts were seen in the north, while the thunder 
and the commotions of the earth increased in vio- 
lence. 

The Skaptar was formerly a large river, and took 
its rise in Skaptar Yokul. On this day it totally 
disappeared, and was so dried up, that men crossed 
its bed on foot and dry shod, where the passage 
had been difficult in boats. The cause of this phe- 
nomenon made itself fully apparent two days after. 
A terrific stream of molten lava came pouring into 
the channel of the Skaptar. The cliffs between 
which this river run might average five hundred feet 
in height, yet the lava not only filled up the chasm, 
but overflowed a considerable tract on both sides. 
It is now only in a few places that the tops of the 
highest hills that enclosed the Skaptar can be seen 
above the lava that buried them. 



POLAR REGIONS. 13 

No language can adequately express the horrors 
of this first eruption. A black cloud incessantly 
showered down sand, ashes, sulphur, and other sub- 
stances. The foetid smoke veiled the face of the 
sun, and when it did appear, its color was a sombre, 
bloody red. Constant earthquakes that threatened 
the foundations of the island, fire spouts innumer- 
able, the lurid stream that filled the bed of the 
Skaptar, indescribable sounds in air and earth, with 
constant thunder, and one incessant sheet of light- 
ning, were the objects presented to the senses of the 
affrighted Icelanders, and made them believe that 
the day of judgment had arrived. 

Running with inconceivable fury, the stream of 
fire proceeded, bearing houses, enclosures, and 
everything else before it. When it reached the 
gorge through which the Skaptar took leave of the 
mountains, it might have been expected to overrun 
the lower districts ; but providentially, a lake receiv- 
ed it, and swallowed up a vast quantity of lava, so 
that the fire stream was much diminished. When 
the lake was filled up, the torrent extended itself 
over the lower grounds. This scene of havoc con- 
tinued till the 15th of the month, and during this 
time a large tract of the best land on the island was 
covered and utterly ruined. 

Till the 18th, the fire spread slowly over the 
country, lifting the lava of older date out of its 
place, and thereby creating rugged hills. Where- 
ever the burning liquid found its way under rocks 
and hills, they were, by the expansion of their in- 
ternal moisture, thrown into the air with prodigious 
2 



14 POLAR REGIONS. 

force. The terrors which must have attended the 
uplifting of such masses, many of them an hundred 
and eighty feet in height, and their fall, may be 
imagined, but cannot be described. 

On the 18th, a dreadful eruption of lava broke 
from the craters of Skaptar Yokul. Where the 
Skaptar River had not been quite filled up, the 
lava rose to a height much exceeding the highest 
hills that enclosed the stream. It brought on its 
surface red-hot rocks that it had torn from their 
beds. A thick suffocating steam arose from two 
rivers which the lava had intercepted, and kept 
constantly boiling, and the hot water, which in con- 
sequence overflowed the low banks, did no small 
damage. 

The next day the fire extended much farther, 
dividing into two branches, one running south and 
the other east, burning the country, and carrying 
away houses, churches, and all the fruits of the in- 
dustry of the inhabitants. Thus it continued to 
advance, slowly, but surely, desolating and destroy- 
ing all before it. 

From the 22d of June to the 13th of July, fresh 
streams of lava broke out. In one place it rose, 
irom the constant eruptions, into a lofty hill, and 
became hard and solid, preventing the new streams 
which poured from the mountains from finding a 
free passage, and dividing them into many branches. 
In one place it ran in the bed of the Skaptar 
over the lofty fall of Stapafos, exhibiting a literal 
cataract of flame, and finally obliterated all traces 
of the fall, by filling the gulf beneath. 



POLAR REGIONS. 15 

On the 3d of August the river Hverfisfliot dried 
up in the same manner that the Skaptar, to which 
it was equal in size, had done. It was before the 
end of the month filled and obliterated as the Skap- 
tar had been. It is needless to describe the mi- 
nutiae of this desolation farther. The lava stream 
did not reach the sea, like those from Hecla, be- 
cause the mountain from which it flowed was at a 
distance four times greater than that of Hecla from 
it. The lava continued to burst forth, though at 
longer periods and in smaller streams, till February, 
1784. In the course of this flood of fire many large 
rivers were effaced from the map, many farms were 
swept away, much property was destroyed, and 
large tracts of land were laid waste, but we are not. 
aware that any human lives were lost. The quan- 
tity of ashes, sulphur, &c, ejected into the air, was 
so great that nearly the whole European atmosphere 
was obscured. In the Faro Islands, the earth was 
at times covered with sand, ashes, and pumice. 
Luminous meteors were observed in England, Hol- 
land, and other parts of the continent, and tremen- 
dous earthquakes shook the northern hemisphere. 

We said that no human lives were lost by this 
eruption, but this must be understood as applying 
to its direct effects. Inveterate diseases, in the 
form of scurvy, broke out, even in parts remote 
from the fire. In six parishes only, one hundred 
and sixty persons were carried off" before the June 
following; but some of these perished by famine. 
The same symptoms were observed in the human 
race and the brute creation. The limbs, throat, 



16 POLAR REGIONS. 

and head, were dreadfully swollen, and the joints 
contracted, as well as the ribs. The sinews of the 
sufferers were drawn up, they were oppressed with 
pains in the breasts and loins, their teeth became 
loose, their gums mortified and came away, and in 
many cases the tongue perished in the same man- 
ner, while the patient was yet alive. Not to en- 
large on this painful topic, we may suppose that 
the want of food and the consumption of that which 
was unwholesome, the poisoned waters and the 
foetid air they breathed during the eruption, were 
sufficient to produce these epidemic results, with- 
out the aid of contagion. 

The total number that perished from these causes 
was nine thousand. 

The loss of cattle and sheep was very severely 
felt by the Icelanders, and many species of birds 
were frightened from the island and never returned. 
The fishery was interrupted an entire year. The 
only benefit to balance all these calamities was 
that the fertility of such lands in the vicinity of the 
conflagration as had not been overflowed, was in- 
creased. 

Skaptar Yokul, which gave vent to the fiery plague, 
is an ice mountain, and, it is supposed, has a subter- 
raneous communication with Orsefa, Sida, and other 
volcanoes, though at the distance of many miles. It 
is situated near the boundary of the district called 
West Skaftafell Syssel, near the sources of several 
rivers. It consists of about twenty red, conical hills, 
which have been the furnaces from which so much 
molten matter has boiled over. The Icelandic rec- 



POLAR REGIONS. 



17 



ords make no mention of any former eruption of 
this volcano, but the situation of the ancient lava in 
its neighbourhood proves that it was active at some 
time, probably before the discovery of Iceland. The 
eruptions of those volcanoes supposed to be con- 
nected with it, have, perhaps, had the same origin. 
Henderson thinks that all the Yokuls are but differ- 
ent vents of ore, and of the same internal fire, which 
sometimes breaks out in one place, and sometimes 
in another. 

An account of the several eruptions that have 
ravaged this island, from time to time, would be but 
a repetition of the same phoenomena, the same hav- 
oc, and the same misery, in greater or less degrees. 
The public is already acquainted with the most re- 
markable. We judge it proper, therefore, to let this 
description of Skaptar Yokul stand for the whole, 
and pass on to another chapter. 



CHAPTER III. 



Situation of the Geysers. — Description of the Great Geyser. — -Its Eruption. — 
The Strockr.— The Old Strockr.— The Little Geyser.— Hot Springs at 
various Places. — Mountains. — Oraefa Yokul. — Crater of Krabla. 

Of all the new and strange forms and operations 
of matter in Iceland, none are more remarkable than 
its hot springs, called in the Icelandic tongue Gey- 
sers. There are many of these in different parts of 
the island, at considerable distances from each other. 
2* 



18 * POLAR REGIONS. 

Those termed emphatically The Geysers, are the 
most deserving of notice. 

They are situated in the district of Arness Syssell, 
northeast from Thingvalla. Several miles from the 
Great Geyser the traveller may descry the spot, by 
the eternal cloud that hovers over it. The springs 
are situated at the foot of a low hill, in countless mul- 
tiplicity. The Great Geyser gushes from a large cir- 
cular mound formed by its own deposits. A great 
evaporation constantly goes on from this basin, which 
is always more than half filled with hot, crystalline 
water, in a state of ebullition caused by the escape 
of the steam from a cylindrical pipe or funnel in the 
centre. This pipe is seventyeight feet deep per- 
pendicular, and from eight to ten feet in diameter. 
Near the top it widens and opens into the basin, 
the interior surface of which is covered with a whi- 
tish, siliceous incrustation, rendered perfectly smooth 
by the ceaseless action of the boiling water. The 
diameter of the basin is fiftysix feet in one direc- 
tion, and fortysix in another. When full, the water 
is four feet deep to the mouth of the pipe. The 
edges of the basin form the highest part of the 
mound, and are extremely broken and irregular, owing 
to the accretion of deposited substances. There 
are two small channels, equally polished with the 
rest of the basin, through which the water escapes 
when it is filled to the margin. The declivity of the 
mound is abrupt, especially on the northwest side, 
but soon begins to slope more gradually; and the 
deposits of the fountain are spread all around, at 
different distances, the least of which is an hundred 



POLAR REGIONS. 19 

feet. The whole of this surface, excepting the two 
small channels, exhibits a beautiful siliceous efflores- 
cence, rising in small granular clusters, much re- 
sembling the heads of cauliflowers. While wet they 
are of so delicate a texture that they can hardly be 
removed in a perfect state. They are brown or 
yellow. Leaving the mound, the water flows through 
a soil of turf, and in passing converts the peat, moss, 
and grass into stone, the finest specimens of petrifac- 
tion. This is the appearance of the Great Geyser 
when tranquil. Its explosions are commonly announ- 
ced by sounds resembling the low report oi artille- 
ry. Each of the reports is accompanied by a par- 
tial earthquake. A few small jets are thrown up, 
though the water in the basin does not overflow the 
margin. The water boils violently and the basin 
begins to fill. The sounds of subterraneous com- 
motion become louder and more frequent, and the 
concussions of the earth more violent. At last, the 
pent steam explodes, and the water is thrown up 
from the pipe with great force, and clouds of vapor 
attend its flight upward. The first jets are gener- 
ally inconsiderable, not more than fifteen or twenty 
feet high ; but the highest often exceed eighty. If 
large stones are thrown into the basin previous to 
the eruption, they are ejected and thrown much 
higher than the water. On the propulsion of the 
jets the water nighest the orifice of the pipe is lifted 
more than a foot ; and when the spout falls, the basin 
not only overflows at the usual channels, but also 
at the highest parts of the brim. The great body 
of the column, at least ten feet in diameter, rises 



20 POLAR REGIONS. 

perpendicularly, and then divides into beautiful cur- 
vated ramifications, some of which are projected 
laterally, to the great danger of the spectator, who 
may be scalded by the falling jet before he is aware. 
At the cessation of the eruption the water sinks 
within the funnel, but immediately rises again, and 
fills the basin to its usual depth. 

Before the explosion, the water is usually at the 
temperature of 193° of Fahrenheit, and immediately 
after at 183°. This difference is caused by the 
cooling of the water during its projection into the 
air. 

The explosions of the Great Geyser take place 
at intervals of about six hours, which time is proba- 
bly requisite to generate steam enough to produce 
such tremendous bursts. The highest jet at any 
one eruption is commonly about eighty feet, though 
the water has several times been seen projected 
more than two hundred, and once three hundred 
and sixty feet. 

The Strockr, or New Geyser, is situated an hun- 
dred and forty yards from the Great Geyser, and in 
many respects, though different, is as remarkable 
as the principal fountain. Its orifice is nine feet 
in diameter. Its jets are higher than those of the 
Great Geyser, more violent, generate more vapor, 
and are accompanied by a tremendous roaring noise. 
When they have subsided, the steam is let off with 
a deafening roar, and rushes to a height little infe- 
rior to that of the water. The largest stones that 
men can lift, if thrown in, are instantly ejected to an 
incredible height ; frequently beyond the sphere of 



POLAR REGIONS.^ 21 

vision. Sometimes in falling they are met by a new 
rush of steam, and thus kept in the air, alternately 
rising and falling for the space of live minutes. When 
the Strockr is in action, the spray forms beautiful 
rainbows, and becomes quite cool before it reaches 
the earth. 

The crater of this fountain is fortyfour feet deep, 
and is not perpendicular like that of the Great Geyser. 
One side of the orifice is defended by an incrusted 
wall a foot and a half high, and the other is on a 
level with the surface of the ground. 

There was formerly another fountain of equal 
magnitude with the Great Geyser, but after an earth- 
quake in 1789 it became tranquil. It was called 
the Strockr ; and as the spring we have just de- 
scribed, broke out in the same year, it received its 
name. 

In the year 1784, immediately after a dreadful 
earthquake, no less than thirtyfive similar springs 
gushed forth with amazing violence, but the fury of 
most- of them abated soon after. 

The description already given is perhaps suffi- 
cient to convey a proper idea of the Geysers ; but a 
few more observations will not, we hope, be deemed 
impertinent. Sometimes the Great Geyser and the 
Strockr erupt at the same time, and the smaller 
springs keep them company. The Strockr may be 
made to explode at any time, by throwing in large 
stones ; but it does not play at the usual time when 
its periodical evacuations are thus interrupted. 

The Little Geyser plays at intervals of two hours, 
but its jets are not often more than eighteen or 



02 POLAR REGIONS. 

twenty feet high. The crater of this aqueous vol- 
cano opens into a -beautiful circular basin, twelve 
feet in diameter, incrusted like that of the Great 
Geyser. The pipe is scarcely a yard wide, but it is 
thirtyeight feet deep. There is another vent a 
short distance from the Little Geyser, which roars 
and becomes quiet with it. Many of the springs 
are covered with incrusted domes below, which is a 
boiling abyss. The Little Strockr emits its contents 
every quarter of an hour, in a fantastic manner. 

There are also several springs of boiling mud ; and 
not far from the Great Geyser is a reservoir of boil- 
ing water of vast dimensions, and fifty feet deep. 

The Hot Springs of Laugarvalla are not considered 
remarkable. Those of Reykialaug are three in 
number, and are sometimes used as baths. The 
fountains of Reykiahverf are second in magnitude 
only to the Geysers, and jet only in stormy weather. 
At Staffhollt there are six boiling springs, which pro- 
ject their water but a foot high. There is one at 
Lysuhol, and others at Reykiaholar and other places ; 
but none to compare with the Geysers. At Huer- 
aveliir there are remarkable ones ; but the greatest 
curiosity at this place is a steam spring, which dis- 
charges its vapor with a noise louder than the great- 
est cataract. Stones thrown in are instantly cast 
forth again to a considerable height. 

The mountains of Iceland all are, or have been, 
volcanoes. They are of two kinds ; the Yokuls or 
Ice Mountains, and those which consist of common 
materials. A description of one of each may serve 
for the whole. 



POLAR REGIONS, 23 

Oroefa Yokul is supposed to be the highest moun- 
tain in Iceland. Its height is six thousand two hun- 
dred and forty feet. The low mountains which 
form its lower divisions extend to the coast, and are 
covered in the summer with a coat of green. The 
upper regions are composed of the purest snow and 
ice. The River Breidamark Yokul flows along its 
base. What are called Yokul bursts are of fre- 
quent occurrence. The ice on the sides of the 
gullies falls in with tremendous noise and jarring. 
There are many chasms or fissures, w T here the ice of 
which the mountain is composed has been cracked 
by internal commotion. The summit rises into three 
or four precipitous peaks, which inclose an immense 
crater. 

In the year 1362 this Yokul burst with an awful 
explosion, and devastated the coast in the vicinity. 
It deluged the country at its base with lava, clay* 
gravel, and hot water. It was again active during 
the last century. 

The Sulphur Mountain lies between Krabla and 
Leirhnukr, and joins the ridge by which the two 
mountains are connected. Here the sulphur ex- 
hales in such profusion that the natives collect 
enough to form a very considerable branch of traffic. 

Leaving the Sulphur Mountain, the traveller pro- 
ceeds toward mount Kravla, over hot quagmires and 
among boiling springs, the jetting of which throws 
up vast quantities of mud, accompanied with a 
hoarse roar, with the escape of clouds of sulphur- 
ous vapor. Passing over a desolate lava tract, he 
crosses a deep gully, worn by a mountain stream, 



24 POLAR REGIONS. 

and begins the ascent. Arrived at the summit, he 
looks down seven hundred feet into the extinct cra- 
ter of the volcano. The earth has fallen in and fill- 
ed it, but at the bottom a black pool of boiling mud 
throws up its turbid contents every five minutes, to 
the height of thirty feet. The column raised is 
equal to that of the Great Geyser in its most violent 
commotion. 



CHAPTER IV, 

The Cave of Surtsliellir. — Towns and Settlements. Reykjavik Videy. — Dru- 
idical Circle at Thingvalla. — Holuin. — Akur Egri. — Population of Iceland. 
— Religion and Form of Church Government. — Clergy. — Education. — 
School at Bcssastad. — Icelandic Literature. — Ruric Poetry. — Death Song 
of Regner Lodbrok. 

At Surtsheliir is a long cavern, forty feet high, 
fifty broad, and five thousand and thirtyfour in 
length. The entrance is through several chasms 
formed by the falling in of the roof. It was sup- 
posed in days of yore to be the residence of the 
king of the regions of fire. 

This cave has been formed by volcanic agency. 
Stalactites indicating this origin, hang from the roof, 
and the sides of the cave are composed of horizon- 
tal vitrified layers composed of melted rock. Seve- 
ral passages branch from the main cavern, which 
were once the asylums of pirates and banditti, of 
whom mention is made in the annals of the island. 
One of these passages has a stone wall three feet 
high across it, with a door in the middle, and is 



POLAR REGIONS. 25 

strewed with the bones of animals killed by the 
robbers for food. This cave is three hundred feet 
long. The floor of the great cave is obstruct- 
ed by fragments of lava which have fallen from the 
roof, and in some places is covered with pools of 
water, lying on a bottom of everlasting ice. 

One of the minor caves is coated with pure ice 
in every form of crystallization. Pillars of the 
same material, four feet in diameter, rise from the 
floor, and seem to support the roof. Altogether 
the coup oVazil is the most beautiful imaginable. In 
another apartment there is a large pyramid, com- 
posed of broken pieces of lava. 

Some description of the towns and villages of 
Iceland is doubtless necessary. We see no reason 
why it should not follow here, in the midst of a 
chapter which can come under no general head. 
There are not caverns or towns in Iceland in suffi- 
cient number to fill a chapter, and neither can be 
properly omitted. We will begin with Reykiavik, 
the capital of the island. 

Little more than sixty years ago there were but 
few houses in Reykiavik ; but having become the 
residence of the governor, the seat of the supreme 
court of judicature, the principal commercial station, 
and the episcopal see, it has risen to some impor- 
tance. It is situated on the south side of a consid- 
erable inlet of the Fare Fiord, between two grass 
clad eminences, on low, marshy ground. There 
are two streets, one occupied by merchants, and the 
other by persons not engaged in trade. The pub- 
lic cemetery is in the middle of the latter. The 
3 



26 POLAR REGIONS. 

church is a heavy stone building, covered with red 
tiles, and stands between the town and the lake. 
The house of correction is also of stone, and has 
the most respectable appearance, at a distance, of 
all the buildings in the place. 

The dwelling houses, with two or three excep- 
tions, are of wood, and a small garden and one 
or more store-houses are attached to each. The 
frames are constructed in Norway, and brought 
hither. At the west end of the merchants' street 
stand the public stocks, or rather pillory ; for the 
culprit stands on a block, with his arms secured in 
two iron rings. An observatory stands on a height, 
west of the town. For twenty miles round Reyki- 
avik, the country is flat and barren. 

Reykiavik comes under the censure of the rever- 
end traveller Henderson. He describes it thus : 
'■ It is totally destitute of the means of intellectual 
gratification. The foreign residents idle away the 
day with their tobacco pipes, and spend the evening- 
playing at cards and drinking punch. They have 
two or three balls in the course of the winter, and 
the principal inhabitants sometimes enact plays. 
An instance has been known of an individual who 
performed a part in a play late on Saturday night 
appearing in the pulpit on Sunday morning, in the 
character of a public teacher of religion ! ' &c. &c. 

In the bay, at a short distance from the town are 
several small islands, the resort of eider duck and 
other aquatic fowls. Videy is the principal of these, 
and from the richness of its pastures is thought to 
be the most desirable spot in that part of Iceland. 



POLAR REGIONS. 27 

It rests on pillars of basalt, which, with the crater of 
an extinct volcano near the houses, leave no doubt 
that it was thrown up by a submarine eruption. 
Similar appearances, as well as some hot springs, 
are to be seen near Reykiavik. 

At Thingvalla, the former seat of the National As- 
sembly, there is no town, yet the spot is remarkable 
on several accounts. The Blot Steinn, or stone 
where human victims were sacrificed is still to be 
seen there, in the centre of a circle of other large 
stones. It is of an oblong shape, with a sharp sum- 
mit like the steep roof of a house, on which the backs 
of the victims were broken. Similar circles abound 
in ancient Scandinavia, and it is extremely probable 
that Stonehenge and other druidical circles in Great 
Britain were erected for the like purpose. Thingval- 
la is on the border of a lake called Thingvalla Vatn. 

Holum is beautifully situated at the foot of Mount 
Holarbyrde. It is a pretty village, and has the finest 
church in the island. It formerly boasted a printing 
press and a school ; but the press was removed, and 
the school merged in that of Bessastad. Mountains 
bound the prospect on every side. Three editions 
of the Icelandic Bible were printed in Holum. 

Akur Eyri is one of the principal trading stations 
on the north coast of Iceland. It is situated on the 
west side of Egafiord Bay, and consists of eighteen 
or twenty dwellings and store-houses. 

The other villages are not remarkable for any- 
thing. They have few houses, and are no way dis- 
tinguishable but by their vicinity to churches, moun- 
tains, hot springs, or other land marks. Indeed the 



28 POLAR REGIONS. 

population of Iceland is very sparingly distribu- 
ted. It is supposed to have been much greater 
in former times than at present. Successive epi- 
demics have swept the inhabitants away. The small 
pox cut off sixteen thousand in 1708. The last 
census, of 1801, gave a result of fortyseven thousand 
two hundred and seven, since which there has been 
an increase of three or four thousand. 

The form of worship in the churches of Iceland 
is Lutheran, and if the churches are less elegant than 
those of other countries, it is not owing to a lack of 
will to build better, but to the poverty of the inhab- 
itants. Beside the Episcopal See at Reykiavik, there 
is an archdeacon, who supplies the place of the bi- 
shop in case of sickness or absence, and there are 
eighteen deans, who superintend the clergy within 
their respective districts. 

The number of parishes in Iceland is one hundred 
and eightyfour ; but as someof them include a large 
territorial space, it has been found expedient to 
build two or three churches in them. There are 
three hundred and live churches in all. Some of the 
priests have assistants. They are all natives of the 
island, and are maintained by the cultivation of glebes 
attached to the churches, and by certain tythes levied 
on the peasantry. The provision is extremely scan- 
ty ; the best living on the island does . not produce 
two hundred six dollars. Most of them have a sti- 
pend of from twenty to thirty, and in some instan- 
ces it does not exceed five. 

Nevertheless, the Icelandic clergy are in general 
attentive to the discharge of their duties and to the 



POLAR REGIONS. 29 

education of the young, according to their own ideas 
of education. Every priest keeps what he calls 
his ' register of souls,' which contains a statement 
of the situation, character, &c, of every individual 
in his parish. The books belonging to each family 
are also entered therein. 

The ecclesiastics are naturally divided into two 
classes. Those of the old school receive the bible 
with implicit deference, as the word of God ; those 
of the new, are few in number, and discard, or at 
least do not insist on the divine inspiration of the 
scriptures, or inculcate doctrinal points. They 
preach the excellence of pure lives and morals 
instead, and often illustrate their maxims by re- 
ference to profane writers. 

The habits of the inhabitants are essentially re- 
ligious ; they attend public worship regularly, and 
their priests have much influence with them. As 
to the clergy themselves, they have little communi- 
cation with each other, and consequently little of 
the esprit du corps. 

As there are none or few parish schools in Ice- 
land, the mental cultivation of youth depends in a 
great measure on the parents. In general these 
are not wanting in their duty, for their sense of na- 
tional honor and of self-respect is very high. The 
children are taught their letters by their mother, and 
the higher branches of education by their father : 
every clergyman is bound to visit the several fami- 
lies twice or three times a year, and on such occa- 
sions he catechizes old and young. 

These are the only opportunities of learning that 
3* 



30 POLAR REGIONS. 

the bulk of the Icelandic* population enjoy; never- 
theless, emulation of their forefathers, the desire and 
necessity of knowledge, and their excellent domes- 
tic habits stimulate them to exertion ; and in many 
cases, the amount of science and literature acquired 
is truly astonishing. It is not uncommon to hear 
ragged peasants discussing topics, which, in other 
countries, are only propounded from the chairs of 
learned professors. 

There is a school at Bessastad, at which twenty- 
five students are admitted. They are taught arith- 
metic, history, geography, and theology, as well as 
the Latin, Greek, Danish and Icelandic tongues, 
and the elements of Hebrew. The library consists 
of a thousand volumes, of which the greater part are 
theological. None are admitted at this seminary 
but such as come recommended by the clergymen 
of their respective parishes, which recommendation 
must be approved by the bishop, to whose super- 
intendence the institution is committed. The school 
is supported by the rents of landed estates set 
apart for the purpose. 

The period allotted for instruction begins about 
the first of October and lasts till the end of May, 
when the students undergo an examination. The 
time they are permitted to remain is not determi- 
nate, but depends on the industry and ability of the 
individual. If any one is so dull as not to pass after 
seven examinations, he is dismissed as incapable of 
tuition. Those who pass an honorable examination 
obtain a dimissus, and after some farther study may 
become candidates for public offices. Some of the 



POLAR REGIONS. 31 

young men, who have wealthy connexions, are sent 
to the university at Copenhagen ; but very few of 
the Icelandic clergy have any other education than 
that obtained at Bessastad ; which is the only con- 
siderable school on the island. 

Of so much importance is proper instruction con- 
sidered, that parents are punished for neglecting it. 
Henderson speaks of the inhabitants of Lagavfliot as 
exceptions in the character of the population, being 
addicted to sloth, swearing, and slander. On one oc- 
casion they were summoned before the Sysselman's 
court, to answer for their conduct. It appeared 
that the children had composed nidingavisar, or 
satiric songs (to which the Icelanders have ever 
been addicted) on the parish priest and others, even 
on their own parents. They were sentenced to be 
beaten with rods, and to do public penance in church, 
as an awful warning to the congregation. For neg- 
lecting or failing to teach their children better, 
the parents were fined sixtyeight rix dollars, forty- 
eight for the use of the poor, and the rest to defray 
the cost of the suit. 

The art of writing in Roman letters (for the use 
of Runic characters was known long before), was 
introduced into Iceland in 1057. The historical 
composition of Icelandic writers are very nume- 
rous, and are known by the name of Sagas. Most 
of them are worthy of full credit. Their minute- 
ness and simplicity are strong evidence of their 
truth, and their authenticity is established beyond a 
doubt by volumes of extrinsic testimony. Some of 
these writers studied in Europe, but Ari Frode and 



32 POLAR REGIONS. 

Snorro Sturluson never left their native island. 
The golden age of Icelandic literature was from the 
beginning of the twelfth to the middle of the four- 
teenth century. 

The ancient Scandinavians were, and the Ice- 
landers are, possessed of a peculiar and origi- 
nal national poetry ; deeply tinged with the bold- 
ness and enthusiasm that distinguished the race 
of Odin. The gift of poetry was supposed to be 
inherited from Odin himself. The skalds, from 
whom it emanated, were bards by profession, and 
rehearsed their effusions for the amusement and in- 
struction of assembled companies. Their subjects 
were the history and the warlike deeds of their 
progenitors, and the praises and exploits of the 
gods of their ferocious mythology. 

About the beginning of the ninth century the 
Runic bards abandoned the simple and natural style 
of antiquity. They reduced their compositions to 
metrical rules, and introduced several new species 
of versification. Nor was the new manner more 
different from the old than the matter. While the 
earlier poems embraced abstract ideas, ethics and 
the pleasures of pastoral life, the latter was exclu- 
sively martial. From the death of Regner Lodbrok, 
who died in the latter part of the eighth century, in 
the space of three centuries, we find the names of 
two hundred poets, whose existence is established 
by indubitable proof. Fragments of eighty of these, 
most of them natives of Iceland, are preserved, 
which show us how great a loss we have had in the 
rest. Since the reformation, the Icelandic poets 



POLAR REGIONS. 



33 



have in a great measure confined themselves to re- 
ligious subjects and to translation. 

In the death song of Regner Lodbrok, we have 
a striking instance of the spirit which marked the 
poetry of his time. Regner was a king of Denmark, 
who was made prisoner by Duke Ella, in a predato- 
ry descent on the coast of Northumberland. As a 
punishment for the havoc he had made, he was shut 
up with serpents ; and while he was dying of their 
venom, he sung his death song. To save farther 
remarks on this topic, we conclude this chapter 
with a few verses translated from it. 

CHORUS. 

We hewed with our swords. 

LODBROK. 

High I bore my lance, and wide I carried my ensanguined 
blade before I numbered twenty years. Eight earls graced 
my triumph at the Dwina's mouth — there we the falcon enter- 
tained with plenteous meals. The crimson sweat of death 
poured on the sullen sea. Warriors lost their lives. 

CHORUS. 

We hewed with our swords. 

LODBROK. 

On Ulla's plain loud roared the spear, ere to our force king 
Eistein bowed. Gleaming in gold we traversed the field of 
slaughter. The tapering lance, indignant, bored the shield, 
at the helm'd conflict. Rills of winy hue, warm from the 
wounded neck, flowed down the hero's shoulder. 

CHORUS. 

We hewed with our swords. 

LODBROK. 

I sought a noble mother for my children — one that might im- 
part adventurous hearts to our posterity. Now to my heir 
devolves the crown. Grim seem the terrors of the adder. Ser- 



34 POLAR REGIONS. 

pents rest within my heart's recesses — yet 't is the cordial of 
my soul'that Vithris' lance shall soon stick fast in Ella. My 
sons will swell with vengeance at their parent's doom — those 
generous youths will, sure, forego the sweets of peace. 

CHORUS. 

We hewed with our swords. 

LODBROK. 

Full fifty times my lance, dire devastation's harbinger, an- 
nounced the distant enterprise. Methinks no king has truer 
cause to glory. It was the pastime of my boyish days, to tinge 
my spear with blood. The immortals will permit my presence 
in their company. No sigh shall ever disgrace my exit. 

CHORUS. 

We hewed with our swords. 

LODBROK. 

See ! the celestial virgins, sent from that hall where Odin's 
martial train reside, invite me home. There, happy on my 
high raised throne, I '11 quaff the barley's mellowed juices. The 
moments of my life are fled. The smiles of death compose my 
placid visage. 



CHAPTER V. 

Personal Appearance of the Icelanders. — Character, Language, and Literature. 
— Dress of the Males. — Dress of the Females. 

The Icelanders of the present day are tall, of a 
frank open countenance, a florid complexion, and 
yellow flaxen hair. The women are shorter in 
proportion, and more inclined to corpulency than 
the men ; but many of them would look handsome 
in a modern European dress. In youth, both sexes 
are generally of a very weakly habit of body, which 
is the necessary consequence of their want of pro- 
per exercise, and the poorness of their living ; yet 
it is surprising what great hardships they are capa- 



POLAR REGIONS. 35 

ble of enduring in after life. It is seldom that any 
of them attain to a very advanced age ; however, the 
females commonly live longer than the men. Owing 
to the nature of their food, their want of personal 
cleanliness, and their being often obliged to sit long 
in wet woollen clothes, they are greatly exposed to 
cutaneous diseases. They are also frequently at- 
tacked with obstinate coughs and pulmonary com- 
plaints, by which perhaps more are carried off an- 
nually than by any other disease. 

Their predominant character is that of unsuspect- 
ing frankness, pious contentment, and a steady 
liveliness of temperament, combined with a strength 
of intellect and acuteness of mind seldom to be 
met with in other parts of the world. They have 
also been noted for the almost unconquerable attach- 
ment which they feel to their native island. With 
all their privations, and exposed as they are to 
numerous dangers from the operation of physical 
causes, they live under the practical influence of 
one of their common proverbs : Islcmd er hinn 
besta land sem solinn skinnar uppa. * Iceland is the 
best land on which the sun shines.' 

In the persons, habits, and customs of the pre- 
sent inhabitants of Iceland, we are furnished with a 
faithful picture of those exhibited by their Scandi- 
navian ancestors. They adhere most rigidly to 
whatever has once been adopted as a national cus- 
tom, and the few innovations that have been intro- 
duced by foreigners are scarcely visible beyond the 
immediate vicinity of their factories. Their lan- 
guage, dress, and mode of life, have been invariably 



36 POLAR REGIONS. 

the same during a period of nine centuries ; whilst 
those of other nations have been subjected to nu- 
merous vicissitudes, according to the diversity of 
external circumstances, and the caprices of certain 
individuals, whose influence has been sufficiently 
powerful to impart a new tone to the society in 
which they moved. Habituated from their earliest 
years to hear of the character of their ancestors, 
and the asylum which their native island afforded 
to the sciences, when the rest of Europe was im- 
mersed in ignorance and barbarism, the Icelanders 
naturally possess a high degree of national feeling, 
and there is a certain dignity and boldness of car- 
riage observable in numbers of the peasants, which 
at once indicate a strong sense of propriety and 
independence. 

The Icelandic is justly regarded as the standard 
of the grand northern dialect of the Gothic language. 
While the Swedish and Danish, and even the Nor- 
wegian, which is a kind of middle dialect, have 
been more or less subject to the influence of the 
Teutonic or German branch, that originally spoken 
in Scandinavia, has been preserved in all its purity 
in Iceland. In the middle ages, it was known by 
the name of Donsk Tunga, or, the Danish Tongue ; 
the Icelanders at first called it Norraena, because 
they had brought it along with them from Norway, 
which name pretty much resembles that of Norns, 
or Norse, by which the corrupt dialect, spoken till 
within these few years in some parts of Orkney, 
has been designated; and it was not till after it 
had ceased to be spoken on the continent, that it 



POLAR REGIONS. 37 

assumed the name of Icelandic. The remoteness 
of this island, and the little intercourse which its 
inhabitants have maintained with the rest of the 
world, have effectually secured the purity and ori- 
ginality of this ancient language ; and it is a curious 
fact, that while our ablest antiquaries are often puz- 
zled, in endeavouring to decipher certain words 
and phrases in writings which date their origin only 
a few centuries back ; there is not a peasant, nor 
indeed, scarcely a servant girl in Iceland who is 
not capable of reading with ease the most ancient 
documents extant on the island. 

The early and successful application of the Ice- 
landers to the study of the sciences, forms a per- 
fect anomaly in the history of literature. At a 
period when the darkest gloom was spread over 
the European horizon, the inhabitants of this com- 
paratively barren island, near the north pole, were 
cultivating the arts of poetry and history ; and lay- 
ing up stores of knowledge, which were not merely 
to supply posterity with data, respecting the domes- 
tic and political affairs of their native country, but 
were also destined to furnish very ample and satis- 
factory information on a great multiplicity of im- 
portant points connected with the history of other 
nations. To this a wonderful combination of cir- 
cumstances proved favorable. The Norwegians 
who first went over to Iceland, were sprung from 
some of the most distinguished families in the land 
of their nativity. They had been accustomed from 
their infancy to listen to traditionary tales of the 
deeds of other years ; they had frequented the 
4 



38 POLAR REGIONS. 

public assemblies, where they saw the value and 
importance of knowledge ; and in the course of 
their numerous practical expeditions and invasions, 
they had obtained an intimate acquaintance with 
the situation, politics, history, &c, of the different 
countries of Europe. Being in the habit of cloth- 
ing all events of importance in poetic language, an 
accurate knowledge of these events was secured to 
posterity, while the share that some of themselves, 
or their immediate ancestors had had in any of 
them, naturally excited a desire to recite them in 
the family circle ; and the undisturbed enjoyment 
of tranquillity, during a long winter of eight months 
continuance, afforded them the best opportunities 
of bending their attention to the study of the differ- 
ent branches of literature. 

On inquiring into the state of mental cultivation 
in Iceland, it is not so much the literary fame of a 
few select individuals, who have enjoyed superior 
advantages, which strikes our attention, as the uni- 
versal diffusion of the general principles of know- 
ledge among its inhabitants. Though there is only 
one school in Iceland, and that is exclusively 
designed for the education of such as are after 
to fill offices in church or state ; yet it is ex- 
ceedingly rare to meet with a boy or girl, who 
has attained the age of nine or ten years, that cannot 
read and write with ease. Domestic education is 
most rigidly attended to ; and it is no uncommon 
thing to hear youths repeat passages from the 
Greek and Latin authors, who have never been far- 
ther than a few miles from the place they were 



POLAR REGIONS. 39 

born. Nor is there scarcely a hut, where there is 
not some individual capable of conversing on to- 
pics which would be reckoned altogether above the 
understandings of people in the same rank of so- 
ciety in other countries of Europe. On many oc- 
casions, indeed, the common Icelanders discover 
an acquaintance with the history and literature of 
other nations, which is perfectly astonishing. 

In their general habits and dispositions, the Ice- 
landers are a very moral and religious people. 
They are carefully instructed in the principles of 
Christianity at an early period of life, and regularly 
attend to the public and private exercises of devo- 
tion. Instances of immorality are in a great meas- 
ure confined to such as frequent the fishing places., 
where they are often idle for days together. 

The male Icelanders wear shirts of wadmei> 
(coarse woollen cloth) and blue waistcoats ; jackets 
and trowsers of the same material, edged with red. 
At home they wear a cloth cap, but when they go 
abroad they put on broad-brimmed hats, as also 
cloaks to defend them from the cold and rain. 

A reverend traveller speaks of the costume of the 
females as having reminded him of the necessity of 
' robes of righteousness and garments of salvation : ' 
and as it is very becoming, we shall attempt a de- 
scription of it. 

Next the body is a garment of wadmel, fastened at 
the neck with a brass or silver button. Beside two 
or three blue skirts of the same stuff, they have a 
blue apron, bordered with black velvet and fringed 
at the top with brass or silver ornaments. The 



40 POLAR REGIONS. 

jacket or bodice is of red or black wadmel, the 
back seams of which are covered with stripes of 
velvet, and in front are two broad borders of the 
same, elegantly ornamented with silver clasps by 
which it is fastened, and with a profusion of em- 
broidery. A girdle, garnished with polished pebbles, 
or silver, secures the apparel. Round the neck is 
worn a ruff of black velvet two inches broad, and 
embroidered with silver thread. 

Above the bodice is another jacket, of black 
wadmel, with tight sleeves, garnished at the wrists 
with silver buttons. Over all, is a black cloak bor- 
dered with velvet. Blue or red worsted stockings, 
and painted sheepskin shoes complete the costume. 
Those in good circumstances wear silver medals, 
suspended from the neck by chains of the same 
metal, with legends of religious import. 

But a curious and fantastic head-gear disfigures 
the whole fabric. It is made of white linen, stiffened 
with pins, and rising from the head to the height of 
twenty inches. The bridal dress is still richer. 



POLAR REGIONS. 41 



CHAPTER VI. 

Cold in Iceland.— Polar Ice. — "Winter. — Summer. — The Fishery.— Summer 
Occupation of the Icelanders. — Occupation of the Women. — Treatment of 
Strangers. — Pastoral Life. — Houses of the Icelanders. — A Winter Eve- 
ning in Iceland. — Horses. — Reindeer. — Visit to the Trading, Houses. — 
Exports and Imports. 

The cold is not more intense in Iceland than in 
the most favored part of Denmark, and the thermom- 
eter seldom or never sinks to zero. What affects the 
temperature most is the arrival of floating ice from 
Greenland. It arrives in immense masses, often so 
large as to run aground in eighty fathoms, choking 
the friths and bays and extending so far that its ex- 
tremities cannot be discerned from the mountain 
tops. In 1766 the whole strait between Iceland 
and Greenland was closed by it, but it seldom sur- 
rounds the whole island. 

When it remains for a long time on the coast, 
the winter snows are longer in melting, the frost 
remains in the ground, vegetation is checked, and 
the siummer is so short that the people have great 
difficulty to get in their hay. Polar bears are also 
brought on the ice. When it is known that one of 
these has arrived, the inhabitants of the district turn 
out en masse in pursuit. He who kills the bear 
not only gets a good price for the skin, but re- 
ceives a considerable reward from the king of 
Denmark. 

The Aurora Borealis is seen in all its beauty 
during the winter, almost every clear night. Some- 
times a steady stream of light shoots across the 
4# 



42 POLAR REGIONS. 

horizon, but more commonly the confiscations ex- 
hibit a tremulous motion, leaping and dancing about 
with amazing velocity. They are mostly of a faint 
yellow, but are sometimes mixed with red and 
green. 

The distance between the houses, the rents and 
chasms in the lava then hidden by snow, and the 
half frozen rivers, with many other obstacles, pre- 
vent the Icelander from travelling farther in winter 
than his own parish church ; and he is often com- 
pelled, however reluctant, to abandon this tour for 
weeks together. 

Strictly speaking, there are but two seasons in 
Iceland ; summer and winter ; the former of which 
must be diligently spent in preparation for the lat- 
ter. From the third of February to the twelfth 
of May is what they call the fishing season. At 
this period they flock to the southern and west- 
ern shores, clad in dresses made of skins. Du- 
ring this time their food is butter and fish, which 
they only eat early in the morning and late in the 
evening, the rest of the hours being spent aj^sea. 
The boats are manned with from six to nine hands 
each, and row a great w T ay out. 

When they return to land the fish are divided 
into separate shares, two of w T hich the owner of the 
boat claims for the use of it and of his hooks and 
lines. The fishermen retire to rest, and the fish are 
cared for by the women. The fish are mostly 
cod. 

When the snow leaves the ground, the men col- 
lect turf for fuel, and to cover the roofs of the houses, 



POLAR REGIONS. 43 

&c. When the young cattle have been driven to 
the mountains, the care of the sheep and cows, and 
the labors of the dairy devolve on the females, who 
about the middle of the summer repair to the waste 
lands to collect edible lichen. This time they spend 
in tents as before mentioned, and in the mean while 
the men fish in the fresh waters, or visit the fac- 
tories. 

The most important part of Icelandic rural labor 
is haymaking. About the middle of July the grass 
is mowed and gathered in a convenient place to 
dry, and then conveyed to the yard, where it is 
made into stacks. In poor families the females 
as well as the men handle the scythe. 

Hay harvest over, the sheep and cattle are brought 
in, and the occupations of the season conclude* 
The horses are left to shift for themselves all win- 
ter, and the men attend to the cows and sheep. 
Winter sets in, and the males forge the necessary 
implements of iron, copper, &c, for they are all 
smiths, and some of them are wonderfully expert 
They also prepare leather for shoes, make ropes, 
and full the woollen stuffs. 

Beside their culinary avocations, the females 
employ themselves in spinning with the spindle and 
distaff, knitting, and making and mending clothes. 

It would appear that the Icelanders are kind, and 
hospitable to strangers, as they are in the habit of 
bidding them 'come in peace,' and invoking bless- 
ing on their heads, as well as of mounting them on 
their shoulders to carry them ashore when they land. 
In every house there is a room set apart for the ac- 



44 POLAR REGIONS. 

commodation of strangers, which is always the best 
in the house. On entering a house, the salutation 
of the visitor is ' May God be in this place ; ' and 
the reply is, ' The Lord bless you,' even when the 
visit is at an unseasonable hour, and very inconveni- 
ent. On entering, etiquette requires to salute the 
family in regular order, from first to last, beginning 
with the highest in rank ; but departing, the order 
is reversed. 

Nothing can be more truly polite and sincerely 
affectionate than their reception of unwonted guests. 
Their humors are studied, their wants watched, 
and every effort is made to comply with the one, and 
to relieve the other. 

While the natives are gathering the lichen of Ice- 
land, or pasturing their sheep and cattle, in the waste 
lands, in the summer, they dwell in tents, much like 
those of the Bedouin Arabs. They are erected in 
the following manner : two poles, five or six feet long, 
are stuck fast in the ground, seven or eight feet apart. 
They are joined at the top by a third pole, over 
which the tent, made of coarse woollen, is spread, 
and braced tight with cords fastened to the eaves 
and tied at the other end to crooked wooden pins 
which are driven into the ground. The flaps are 
provided with small holes round the border, and are 
secured in the same manner, excepting at one end 
where a small portion is left loose to serve as a 
door. The natives pass several weeks on the moun- 
tains every summer, in these tents, and are quite 
partial to this primitive way of living. 

In general the permanent houses of the islanders 



POLAR REGIONS. 45 

are built alike, in the fashion of the original settlers 
from Norway. The walls are about four feet high, 
and six feet thick, and are composed of alternate lay- 
ers of earth and stone, inclining a little inward : they 
are met by a sloping roof of turf, supported by a 
few beams, which are crossed by twigs and branch- 
es of birch. Good grass grows on the roof, which is 
always mowed at the time of haymaking. In front 
of the house there are three doors. The middle 
one opens into a long, dark passage, into which are 
entrances from either side from different apartments, 
such as the stranger's room, the weaving room, the 
kitchen, and the sleeping room, which last serves for 
a sitting and working apartment, as well as a dormi- 
tory. The light is admitted through small apertures 
in the roof, covered with thin sheepskin, though in 
some instances glass is substituted. Such houses as 
have windows in the walls resemble the exterior of a 
bastion. The smoke escapes through a hole in the roof 
from the kitchen only ; for no fire is made in any other 
apartment, even during the coldest winter weather. 
The beds are arranged on both sides of the room? 
on open bedsteads raised three feet from the ground. 
They are filled with sea-weed, feathers, or down? 
according to the circumstances of the occupant. 
One or two folds of coarse woollen cloth and a 
parti-colored quilt are thrown over the bed. Though 
these beds are narrow the Icelanders contrive to 
sleep double, by lying in the manner vulgarly called 
heads and points. Sometimes the walls are pan- 
nelled with boards, but more commonly they are 
bare, and collect so much dust that nothing can be 



46 POLAR REGIONS. 

kept clean. It is seldom that there is any floor, and 
the health of the inmates is often greatly prejudiced 
by the dampness of the earth. Travellers complain 
much of the filth and stench of the Icelandic houses, 
but it is questionable if they are worse in this respect 
than the dwellings of the Scotch Highlanders or 
the peasantry of Ireland. 

The other front doors open into store rooms, 
smithies, and other offices, and there are commonly 
several outhouses for sheep and cattle. The whole 
together, with the haystacks which are always hard 
by, present an appearance by no means unpleasant. 

A winter evening spent in one of the houses we 
have been describing would be highly interesting. 
Between three and four o'clock a lamp is lighted in 
the sleeping-room, and all the family, work in hand, 
take their stations on their respective beds. The 
master and mistress with their children place them- 
selves at the inner end of the room, and the outer 
end is occupied by the servants. 

One person takes a seat near the lamp and begins 
to read some ancient saga, or other history, while 
the rest are working. The reader is often interrupt- 
ed by the members of the family, who make re- 
marks and propose questions, in order to exercise 
the memory and judgment. Some have the sagas 
by heart, and recite instead of reading them. There 
are some itinerants of this description who gain a 
livelihood in winter by going from house to house 
till their stock of literature is exhausted. This cus- 
tom has existed among the Scandinavians from time 
immemorial. 



POLAR REGIONS. 47 

At the conclusion of the evening labors, which 
often continue till near midnight, the family join in a 
psalm, and then a chapter in the bible or some other 
devotional book is read. A prayer from the head 
of the house follows, and the exercise concludes with 
a psalm. Their morning devotions are conducted 
in the same manner. When one awakes, he goes 
out of doors and utters a prayer to the Supreme Be- 
ing ; then re-entering, he salutes every one he meets 
with ' God grant you a good day.' 

The common horses of Iceland are sold for twen- 
ty-five or thirty shillings, and a good saddle-horse 
costs five pounds sterling. They are from thirteen 
to fourteen hands high, strong, hardy, and lively, and 
will carry a weight of twenty stone twenty five miles 
a day. They are broken to a short, easy amble. 
Their sagacity is surprising. In the darkest nights, 
when the rider is lost, they find the way by unerring 
instinct over the most broken and dangerous ground, 
without accident. 

There are abundance of sheep in Iceland, but as 
they in no wise differ from the sheep of other civili- 
zed countries we trust to be excused from saying 
any thing about them. 

Reindeer were introduced into the island from 
Lapland by the Danish government in 1770. The 
climate agrees with them, and they have so multiplied 
that numerous herds range the island, and are seldom 
molested by the inhabitants. Sledges are entirely 
out of fashion, or they might easily be made useful, 
as they are docile and readily submit to wear har- 
ness. 



48 POLAR REGIONS. 

Toward the middle of June the Icelander pre- 
pares to visit the factory, or mercantile establish- 
ment, at which he has been accustomed to trade. 
These factories are established by the Danish mer- 
chants along the coast ; but many of the inhabitants 
prefer a journey to Reykiavik, where there is a com- 
petition, and a choice, the latter being a thing of no 
little importance in their eyes. The price of each ar- 
ticle is commonly fixed by the merchants beforehand. 

It is the duty of the Landfoged and the Syssel- 
man to examine all weights and measures before the 
trade commences ; and when these are found de- 
fective, the proprietor is liable to a fine. 

When about to set forth, the Icelanders lay large 
square pieces of turf on their horses' backs, over 
which they strap a wooden saddle. They then load 
the animal with the articles of their traffic, and se- 
cure the whole with leathern thongs. When they 
reach Reykiavik they pitch their tents on the grass, 
near the town. The masters then leave their goods 
in charge of their servants, and ride into the town 
to make their bargains. This only applies to such 
as live at a distance, and are independent of the mer- 
chants ; for the names of a large majority are on the 
wrong side of the shop books all their lives. In- 
deed it is the policy of the dealers to have many 
outstanding debts, in order to secure the future trade 
of the individuals indebted. They are threatened 
with prosecution in case of trading with any other, 
and are thus kept in a kind of servitude all their 
lives. 

The exports are fish, salted mutton, oil, tallow, 



POLAR REGIONS. 49 

wool, woollen stuffs, skins, feathers, and sulphur. 
The imports are ; rye, barley, oatmeal, pease, bread, 
potatoes, rum, brandy, wine, coffee, tea, sugar, to- 
bacco, salt, wood, cottons, silk handkerchiefs, and so 
forth. The use of some of these luxuries has of 
late years increased beyond the means of the inhab- 
itants. 

The wants of Iceland have been supplied at dif- 
ferent times through various channels. At the 
breaking out of the war of 1807, between Great 
Britain and Denmark, the Icelanders were apprehen- 
sive of actual starvation, from the want of absolutely 
necessary articles, especially hooks and lines, with- 
out which they could not live. To the immortal 
honor of Sir Joseph Banks, who interposed in their 
behalf, the British government decreed that the or- 
dinary usages of war shoulcfnot be extended to this 
unoffending people, and th|t their supplies should 

not be cut off. I 

I 

Since the abolition of the.- Althing, the annual fair of 
Reykiavik furnishes the natives with their only op- 
portunity, whether of meelfng, or of transacting pub- 
lic business. The change has displeased most of 
the Icelanders, and in soi|ie degree lessened their 
pride and national feeling! 

In the people of Iceland we see a proof, if a 
proof were needful, that the happiness of a people 
in no wise depends on the nature of the country 
they inhabit. Few persons would choose Iceland 
for a residence : there is ^nothing inviting in their 
barren rocks and yawning craters ; yet would they 
not exchange their desolate abode for any in the 
5 



50 POLAR REGIONS. 

world. We have reason to be proud of Iceland, as 
belonging to the new hemisphere. The virtue of 
its inhabitants, their moral and industrious habits, and 
their love of country, have stood the test of time 
longer than those of any race whatever. From all 
that appears, these are likely to endure as long as 
their island. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Miscellaneous Particulars. — Of the Mineral Kingdom in Iceland. — Vegeta- 
bles. — Drift Wood. — Sketch of Spitzbergen. 

It is but of late that the geographical situation of 
Iceland has been accurately determined, or that 
anything respecting it has been accurately known. 
It was not till the year 1778 that Messrs Borda, 
Pingre, and De La Crenne determined several 
positions astronomically, and ascertained the exact 
dimensions of the island, which have been given 
in another chapter. 

It will, perhaps, be proper to say something of 
the mineral kingdom in Iceland, so far as it is 
known. In many places, the basalt, of which the 
mountains are in part composed, takes the form of 
immense masses of pillars, like the well-known 
Giant's Causeway in Iceland. Mount Akrefell con- 
tains beds of amygdaloyd, trap-tuff and greenstone ; 
the lower surface of which has manifestly been 
subjected to the action of intense heat, probably at 



POLAR REGIONS. 51 

the bottom of the primitive ocean. Of the ordinary 
lava there are several different formations. One of 
these has flowed, and in some places still flows, in 
blazing torrents, from active craters : another kind, 
of a spongy and cavernous nature, appears to have 
boiled up in the very places where it is found. 
In the numerous caverns formed by this last, the 
most beautiful stalactites are found. The great 
cave at Surtshellir, already described, is the largest 
of these. Its description may serve for them all. 

This island may without impropriety be called 
the safety valve of the earth : none of its phenomena 
better prove how vast the mass of volcanic matter 
must be, than the sudden appearance of a new 
island, which rose up to the southwest of Reikianess, 
in 63° 20' latitude, a little before the eruption of 
1783. It threw out flames and pumice-stone ; yet 
when search was made for it two years after, it had 
entirely disappeared. It appears probable, therefore, 
that it was merely a crust of lava and pumice, rais- 
ed to the surface of the sea by a submarine erup- 
tion. Had not Iceland kept its place so long, we 
should be disposed to apply the same remark to it. 

A very singular mineral production of Iceland is 
a kind of fossil wood, called in Icelandic, Surtur- 
brand, the name of the black god, or Pluto of ancient 
Scandinavia. It is black, heavy, and slightly car- 
bonized, burning with flame. There is another kind 
of mineral wood, heavier than coal, which burns with- 
out flame, and contains chalcedony in its trans- 
verse fissures. 

The central mountains of Iceland, which are by 



52 POLAR REGIONS. 

some supposed to be primitive, contain copper and 
iron, which are not wrought for want of fuel ; also 
marble, lime, plaster, porcelain clay, and several 
kinds of bole, beside onyx, agate, jasper, and other 
stones. Sulphur is found in abundance all over the 
island, both in a pure and impure state. The most 
considerable mines are at Krisevig and Husavig : at 
the latter place there is a manufactory for refining 
it. The sulphur hills in the vicinity of mount 
Krabla have already been noticed. 

Iceland produces no salt ; but the surrounding 
sea is as deeply impregnated as the Mediterranean. 
The salt obtained from it, imparts a bluish color to 
fish. 

The air is not without its prodigies. Through 
an atmosphere filled with icy particles the sun and 
moon often appear double, or distorted into extra- 
ordinary and fantastic forms. The aurora borealis 
reflects a thousand shades and colors, and phan- 
tom shores and imaginary seas are everywhere 
perceived through the magic medium of the mirage. 
Wheat was formerly cultivated in quantity suffi- 
cient for the wants of a much larger population, 
and the government takes great pains to revive it. 
But when the polar ice arrives, the hope of a crop 
of wheat must be abandoned for two or three years 
at least. 

Within the space of one century the annals of 
the island record forty three bad seasons, among 
which were fourteen years of actual famine. In 
1784 and 1785, when an intense severity of winter 
succeeded to volcanic eruptions, one fifth of the 



POLAR REGIONS. 53 

entire population perished, together with 190,000 
sheep, 28,000 horses, and upwards of 11,000 horn- 
ed cattle. 

Among the vegetables of Iceland is the Elymus 
arenarius — in Icelandic, melur, a species of wild 
wheat, which may be made into good flour. Be- 
side the lichens, there are many antiscorbutic roots. 
There are even several marine plants used as food, 
among which are the Alga saccharifera, and the 
Fecus foliaceous. Like Norway, Iceland produces 
great quantities of wild berries of excellent flavor. 

Of late years gardening is practised throughout 
the country. Cauliflowers do not succeed, nor 
has the cultivation of the potato made sufficient 
progress for the advantage of the island. 

Though Iceland now affords no better trees than 
birch and brushwood, the inhabitants of the i sea- 
coast do not feel the want of fuel. The immense 
quantity of pines, firs, and other trees, which are 
thrown upon the northern coast is truly astonishing, 
and may be considered a natural phenomenon. 

Thus what the soil denies is brought by the ocean. 
The wood drifts upon Cape North and Cape Lan- 
ganess, in such abundance that the neighbouring in- 
habitants neglect the greater part of it. The pieces 
which are carried along these two points, by the 
waves, towards the other coasts, supply a sufficient 
quantity for all the purposes of boat-building. 

The sea and rivers offer advantages to the Ice- 
landers which they neglect. The salmon, trout, 
barbel, and many other fishes which abound there- 
in, are generally permitted to live and die undis- 
5* 



54 POLAR REGIONS. 

turbed. Eels are found in great plenty, but the 
Icelanders do not eat them, fancying that they are 
the offspring of the great sea snake, which, accord- 
ing to the northern mythology, encompasses the globe 
like a girdle. Herrings swarm round the shore, but 
it is only of late that nets have been used by the 
Icelanders. They pay more attention to the whale, 
the sea-calf, the sea-dog, and the cod-fish. 

North of Iceland, are coasts still imperfectly 
known, which belong either to Greenland or to a 
Polar Archipelago. They have been visited only 
by whalers. Concussions felt at sea seem to indi- 
cate the existence of volcanoes in this quarter. 
The island of John de Mayen, which has often been 
visited, is a mass of black rocks, but without any 
volcanic traces. 

The group of three large islands, and a great 
number of lesser ones, which have received the 
name of Spitzbergen, appear to be the termina- 
tion of this icy chain, and seem, in the present 
state of our geographical knowledge, to belong to 
Greenland, and, consequently to North America. 
The great island of Spitzbergen, properly so called, 
is separated by narrow channels from the southeast 
and northeast islands. The eastern part of the 
peninsula of Spitzbergen proper has received the 
name of New Friesland. Toward the northwest 
point, are the ruins of a Dutch whaling establish- 
ment, called Smeeringberg. The mountains of 
Spitzbergen are covered with perpetual snow and 
ice, and reflect a light equal to that of the full 
moon. They are composed of red granite, the 



POLAR REGIONS. 55 

blocks of which shine in the midst of masses of ice. 
From their great elevation they are seen at a great 
distance. Solemn silence reigns in this desolate 
land, which has probably been uninhabited since the 
birth of Time. Even here the torpor of Nature is but 
temporary and periodical. One uninterrupted day, of 
five months duration, occupies the place of summer. 
Toward the noon of this protracted day, the long- 
accumulated heat penetrates a little way into the 
frozen earth. Though the pitch on the sides of 
vessels is melted, only a few plants expand ; such 
as cochlearise, ranunculuses, sedums, and poppies. 
The bays are full of gigantic fuci and algae, one spe- 
cies of which is more than two hundred feet long. 
Whales and phocee disport in these marine forests, 
and there seek for their accustomed nourishment 
of mollusca and little fishes. Here are seen the 
walrus, and the narwhale ; and here the sword-fish 
battles with the whale. Here also the colossal polar 
bear abides, amidst flocks of foxes and herds of 
rein-deer. All these animals present temptations to 
European enterprize. Within fortysix years the 
Dutch caught 32,900 whales on the coast of Spitz - 
bergen, which were worth fourteen millions sterling.* 
At present, however, the animals are fewer, and the 
value of the fishery is much diminished. All these 
enormous creatures are less useful than the herring, 
of which the polar circle appears to be the birth- 
place. Here it is secure from the assaults of its 
enemies. 

The vast abundance of floating wood that drifts 

* Anderson's History of Commerce. 



56 POLAR REGIONS. 

upon all these northern shores, has given cause for 
much speculation. It appears to be the produce 
of the northern coasts of both continents, and of 
the regions bordering on the Gulf of Mexico. The 
latter is brought hither by the Gulf Stream. Yet if 
a part of this floating timber comes from forests 
now in existence, another part is supposed to have 
its origin in some of the great revolutions of the 
globe. In Siberia great masses of wood are found 
deposited at a height to which the present ocean 
could never have reached. Gmelin imagined that he 
saw in this a proof of the diminution of the sea ; and 
many other hypotheses have been stated by differ- 
ent philosophers. We pretend not to give an opin- 
ion on the subject, farther than that many of the ap- 
pearances of the northern regions could not have 
been produced by the present state of things. 



GREENLAND, 



CHAPTER I. 



General Geographic Features of the Coast of Greenland. — Of the Western 
Coast. — Of the Eastern Coast. — Fredeficshaab.— The Ice Blink. — Gothaab 
Disko Bay, — Lievely, 

The most southern point of Greenland is Cape 
Farewell, situated in latitude 59° north. From this 
point of departure many navigators have coasted its 
northeastern shore as far as within ten degrees of 
the pole, and its northwestern border to the seventy- 
eighth degree. No vessel has ever gained its north- 
ern extremity, nor is it certain that any communica- 
tion exists between Baffin's Bay and the sea on the 
northern shore of the new continent. There are 
therefore no means to ascertain whether Greenland 
is joined with America, or is an island, or a part 
of a polar continent. In the northwestern part of 
Baffin's Bay the late navigators have discovered that 
strong currents run eastward from the different in- 
lets, and this with other circumstances seems a 
reasOn to believe that the land is not continuous 
from Greenland to America. 

The shore of Greenland on the western side, as far 
as Disko, is high, rugged, and barren, rising from the 



58 POLAR REGIONS. 

water's edge into tremendous precipices and lofty 
mountains, which may be seen from the sea more 
than an hundred miles. All the hills are crowned 
with everlasting ice and snow, which increase in 
quantity from year to year, and are continually fill- 
ing the vallies. Those rocks on which the snow can- 
not lie are grey, streaked with colored veins, with here 
and there a little earth which affords nourishment 
to a hardy species of heath. In some of the vallies 
there are small brooks and ponds, fringed with a 
growth of stinted brushwood. North of Disko little 
is known of the coast, excepting that it is mountain- 
ous, and bordered with numerous clusters of small 
islands. 

The eastern coast of Greenland beyond Herjolf's 
Ness is absolutely unexplored. A perpetual bar- 
rier of ice precludes the attempt. It is from hence 
that those fields of ice which so often shut up the 
ports and bays of Iceland break away. The general 
features of this shore are like those of the western 
side. Herjolf's Ness is a bold rocky promontory, 
and the precise position of any point beyond it is 
doubtful. It is no great risk to assume as a fact, that 
Greenland, on the eastern side from Herjolf's Ness 
to the pole, is decidedly unexplored, and the re- 
ports of experienced seamen are positive in express- 
ing the impossibility of coming within many de- 
grees of the supposed line of coast, from the con- 
tinual presence of ice ; and that the ice which is 
carried to the southward from the Greenland fish- 
ing grounds is always limited to a certain meridian, 
westward of which it has never been known to 



POLAR REGIONS. 59 

break up. Eastward of this parallel they have at 
times penetrated beyond the eightyfourth degree. 

South and westward of Herjolfs Ness, is Skaga- 
fiord, a sound the termination of which was never 
ascertained ; but from its apparent direction, it is 
thought to have a communication with Makkely On- 
it, in South East Bay at Disko. 

Between Herjolf's Ness and Staten Hook there 
were many more inlets inhabited in former times. 
Whether these inlets may not have a leading into 
the preceding communication, must not be looked 
upon as at variance with probability. 

No one now will doubt that Frobisher's Straits 
penetrate the whole of southern Greenland, or 
rather open into some vast internal sea, whence 
the ice is annually carried westward, so as to ob- 
struct the entrance to these parts from the side of 
Hudson's Bay. 

Staten Hook and Cape Farewell have been both 
determined to be islands, between which there lies 
an immense bay, crowded with islands. The bot- 
tom of this, never having been yet explored, may 
be supposed to have many inlets, branching into 
Frobisher's Straits. 

Let us turn our attention to Baal's River, which 
is rather a gulf, penetrating Greenland to the north- 
east. The extremity of this water has not been as 
yet laid down. It is supposed to extend to Disko, 
by some inlet leading into Southeast Bay. In its 
length it is impossible to deny but it may have com- 
munication with Skagafiord and the inland waters 
in Frobisher's Straits. 



60 POLAR REGIONS. 

Whether South Bay is connected with Baal's 
River is not easy to assert, as there is no datum for 
such assertion. 

Makkely Onit in Southeast Bay has been always 
considered as running into a water, which, if free 
from ice, would permit a passage into the northern 
Atlantic. 

North of Makkely Onit are numerous passages 
opening into internal seas in the northern parts of 
Greenland, some of which have been penetrated 
by the boats of whale fishers, the men of which, 
on their return, invariably reported that they had 
observed fair, open seas before them, after they 
had gone a very little way. 

In Jacob's Bay there is one very remarkable pas- 
sage of similar description ; and also one, if not more, 
in Northeast Bay ; and proceeding farther north, 
the numerous sounds up to the Woman's Islands, 
and forward to the Devil's Thumb, an isolated 
natural column, in 74° 53' north latitude, various 
openings present themselves, which, no doubt, 
lead to so many ways of traversing this Arctic 
Archipelago. 

A few circumstances more will materially assist 
in this inquiry. The whale fishers are unani- 
mously of opinion that Greenland consists entirely of 
islands ; ' for,' say they, 'whenever chance or incli- 
nation led us, on almost any part of the coast, we 
saw nothing to prevent us from sailing as far inward 
as we liked.' The habits of the whale, who is 
always observed running for some of these pas- 
sages, and some, when stricken, dragging the 



POLAR REGIONS. 61 

boats so far that the people witnessed open clear 
water to a boundless extent, are in a great degree 
confirmatory evidence of the fact. But one cir- 
cumstance, not the least curious in natural history, 
is, that a whale, struck by a man at Greenland, i. e. 
at Spitzbergen, escaped, and was in a short time 
after killed, and taken by a relative of the same 
man, who was then at Davis' Straits. This curi- 
ous fact was determined by the harpoon, bearing 
the mark of the former, being found in the body of 
the animal when taken. 

The Northeast coast of Greenland, therefore, 
being unexplored, and the probable intersection of 
its southeastern, southern, western, and north- 
western parts by navigable waters being adduced, 
besides the other circumstances in aid, it may, we 
presume, be inferred, that the state of Greenland 
is not continental, but insular. But whether the 
research will be ever established by further proofs 
of more decisive character, or whether any. cir- 
cumstances will warrant the hazard, must be left 
for time to determine. 

Nature, in denying this dreary continent or ar- 
chipelago trees for fuel or the purposes of domestic 
architecture, made ample provision, in the drift 
wood which floats to every part of its shores. Of 
salt water there is an abundance ; but the country 
seems to be ill supplied with fresh. The few 
brooks that are known to exist are formed by the 
melting of the snows. 

; The Danish establishments in Greenland consist 
of several factories, scattered along the coast, and 
6 



62 POLAR REGIONS. 

divided into two departments, over each of which an 
inspector presides. Coasting to the Northwest from 
Cape Farewell, the first is Julianshaab, and then 
Fredericshaab, upon a projecting point of land. It 
was founded in 1742. There is a good harbor 
about a mile from the sea, and an island where the 
aborigines resort to hunt seals and rein-deer. — 
Fredericshaab is an eligible place for trade. 

Nine leagues from this colony is the well known 
Ice Blink. It is a vast elevated sheet of ice, reflect- 
ing a brightness over the sky resembling the North- 
ern Lights. The mouth of the adjoining bay is 
blocked by ice driven out by the efflux of the tide, 
and so wonderfully heaped by the waves that the 
spaces between the islands are completely vaulted 
over, and present the sublime spectacle of an enor- 
mous bridge of ice, eighteen miles long, and nearly 
five broad. Boats may enter the harbor under the 
arches, which are from sixty to an hundred and 
eighty feet high. The mouth of the bay is closed, 
but there is a sheet of open water within. 

Proceeding onward, we come to Gothaab, in lati- 
tude 64° 14'. It stands in Baal's River, the inlet be- 
fore mentioned. There is a church at this colony 
which was founded in 1721 by the famous mission- 
ary Egede. Some thousands of the natives former- 
ly dwelt in this vicinity; but in 1733 the ravages of 
the small pox thinned their numbers, and their pop- 
ulation has been on the decline ever since. 

Passing the colonies of Sukkertoppen and Hol- 
steinburg, we come to Disko Island. It is table land, 
the interior parts more elevated than the sides. 



POLAR REGIONS. 63 

From the great distance at which it first becomes 
visible above the horizon, this island must be more 
than a mile in perpendicular height. The face of 
the rock is worn into channels, for the discharge of 
the dissolved snow, which, as they grow narrower in 
their descent, give the spaces between, the appear- 
ance of stupendous pyramids, a resemblance which 
is heightened by the stratification exhibiting horizon- 
tal and parallel fissures, similar to regular building. 
The rock is basaltic, but not of that regular form 
which occurs in the Giant's Causeway. Its height 
is 60 feet. There are parts however where the 
stratification is much more regular. 

These remarks chiefly regard the south side, about 
Fortune Bay, which seems to be that part of this 
island which has been least afflicted by that awful 
convulsion which at some remote period denudated 
and destroyed this portion of the globe. Probably 
the ruin that came upon these countries, moved, in 
its terrible progress, from the northwestward ; and, 
having forced a passage through the Waygat Strait, 
swept round through the southeast bay, and so spared 
Disko. In support of such conjecture, it may be 
advanced, that Hare Island, lying nearly north of 
Disko, at the entrance to Waygat Sound, is low and 
flat, as it were the base of a mountain whose sum- 
mit had been torn away. The contiguous point of 
Disko shelves into the sea, as if having suffered from 
the same cause ; whilst that side of Disko that over- 
looks the Waygat consists of lofty peaks, behind 
which there lie deep valleys, where the torrent ri- 
oted, having failed to carry away the more elevated 



64 POLAR REGIONS. 

parts. Moreover, that part of Disko called Flat 
Foot Shore, which lies over against Makkely Onit, 
has evidently suffered during the same devastation. 
Neither would those portions of the island called 
New and Old Lievely have survived the wreck, were 
it not for the strong resistance made by that part 
which is known by the name of the Black Land. The 
rock of Lievely, now so dangerous to navigators, 
which is bare at low water spring tides, and which is 
nothing but the remains of some part of the moun- 
tain, is a further proof of the justice of the above 
position. The existence of Disko Bay, Fortune Bay, 
Love Bay, and the other recesses in the bosom of this 
remarkable rock, owe their existence to the violence 
of the flood, which, boiling at the resistance oppo- 
sed to it on the north side, rushed over the higher 
lands to the southward, and there pouring onward, 
in its rage hollowed out these several bays, and 
meeting with the other contending currents coming 
through the Waygat, and down the Straits, completed 
the work of destruction, and effected the formation 
of Southeast Bay. 

Disko Bay is an hundred and twenty leagues in 
circuit, and has the most productive fishery of any 
in Greenland. There are several settlements on 
and about the island, the principal of which is Lively. 

The harbor of Lively is excellent for small vessels, 
having a good depth of water, and being quite land- 
locked ; but it appears rather narrow for ships of 
three or four hundred tons. The settlement is prin- 
cipally situated on the south shore of the harbor, 
where there are several tolerably built wooden 



POLAR REGIONS. 65 

houses, among which that of the inspector is a good 
looking and convenient one. There are but six or 
seven Danes, besides the officers, belonging to the 
establishment, most of the Esquimaux going, in the 
summer, into the interior, to kill rein-deer, from which 
occupation they do not usually return till September 
or October, when their services begin to be needful 
in the whale fishery, which is carried on here only 
in the winter months. A small schooner, which is 
kept in the harbor, is sent every summer to bring the 
oil from the northern settlements, in readiness for the 
arrival of the vessels which come annually for the 
purpose of taking that article to Copenhagen ; and 
at the same time carries out supplies of provisions 
and other stores. 

Beside all these, there are other colonies, to the 
number, perhaps, of twenty, which to describe would 
be but repetition. 



CHAPTER II. 

Of the Polar Ice. — Changes in its Position. — Its present Position. — Technical 
Names of the different Kinds of Ice. — Dangers from Icebsrgs. — Manner of 
taking the Whale. 

frr no part of this work can the polar ice, the great 
sole obstacle to the navigation of the arctic regions, 
be discussed with more propriety than here. It 
fills, it appears, together with the land, a circle of 
above two thousand geographic miles in diameter, 
and bars all access to the tract immediately sur- 
6* 



66 POLAR REGIONS. 

rounding the pole. Though subject to partial vari- 
ations, its outline is generally, at any season, similar 
to what it was the year before, and often strikingly 
uniform. 

A great change in its position, as far as it regards 
Greenland, took place in the beginning of the fif- 
teenth century, whereby the intercourse between 
Iceland and the colonies then established in Green- 
land was interrupted, and the colonies probably 
perished ; for nothing has been seen or heard of 
them since. Until that time, the coast had always 
been accessible, but the polar ice, as it is supposed, 
suddenly extended its limits to Cape Farewell, and 
rendered the shore inaccessible. Another and a 
lesser change took place in 1816. A portion of 
about two thousand square leagues of ice drifted 
out of the Greenland sea, from between the paral- 
lels of 74° and 80°. 

With each recurring spring the ice presents near- 
ly the following outline : it covers the eastern coast 
of Greenland, extends by Labrador to Newfound- 
land, fills the bays of Hudson and Baffin, and ex- 
hibits a broken but continuous edge from Labrador 
to Nova Zembla. During the winter, it usually 
adheres to the northwest coast of America, fills 
Bhering's Straits, and, it is supposed, adheres to the 
shore from Icy Cape to the eastern extremity of the 
American Polar Sea. It would seem that a perpet- 
ual barrier of ice, sometimes fixed and sometimes 
loose, crosses the middle of Baffin's Bay. 

Perhaps it may not be amiss to give here the 
denominations by which the different kinds of ice 



POLAR REGIONS. 67 

are known to arctic navigators. Those stupendous 
masses, which from their height, bulk, and irregular 
and picturesque outlines, strike the beholder with 
admiration as well as terror, are called icebergs. 
Those prodigious sheets whose want of altitude is 
made up by their extent, are called field ice. A 
field whose extent can be seen from the mast head, 
is denominated a' floe, but this term is seldom ap- 
plied to pieces less than a mile in diameter. Drift 
ice consists of pieces less than floes, of all shapes 
and magnitudes. Bay ice is that which is newly 
formed on the sea ; and sludge is small particles of 
ice, or snow, from which floes and fields are formed. 

A hummock is a protuberance on a floe, or field, 
commonly formed by the pressure of one piece up- 
on another ; and a calf is a depression from the same 
cause. Calves are sometimes so deep and broad 
that a ship may sail over them without touching. 
A tongue is a point projecting, under water, from 
some mass of ice, horizontally. When there is so 
much drift ice that its extent is not discernible, it 
is termed zpack, and is said to lie open when the 
pieces do not touch ; and if the reverse, it is called 
close. Young ice is that which is forming, or has 
been newly formed. Though formed of salt water, 
the sea ice is not commonly in itself salt. 

It is yet a question whether ice can form in any 
part of the ocean, excepting under the lee of the 
land. The swell and motion of the waves is certain- 
ly unfavorable to its generation ; nevertheless, it is 
certain that bay ice does form at sea to an extent 
sufficient to arrest the progress of ships. Perhaps 



68 POLAR REGIONS. 

the most rational conclusion is, that a part is form- 
ed in the bays within the arctic circle, and a part in 
the open ocean. 

When two fields of ice meet in rapid motion, the 
concussion is terrible^ The weaker field is crush- 
ed with an awful noise ; sometimes the destruction 
is mutual; pieces of huge dimensions are piled up 
to the height L of twenty or thirty feet, while a pro- 
portionate quantity is forced under. The strongest 
ship is but an insignificant impediment between two 
moving fields. Numbers of whaling vessels have 
been thus destroyed ; some have been thrown upon 
the ice, others have been torn open or broken to 
pieces, and some have been completely overthrown 
and buried beneath the fragments. As many as 
twentythree Dutch ships have been thus lost in 
one year. 

Icebergs have been seen of almost incredible 
dimensions. Captain Ross saw one twelve hundred 
feet long, and three hundred and twenty feet high 
above the water. Another was estimated to weigh 
1,292,397,673 tons. Icebergs commonly float on a 
base much more extended than their upper surface. 
Hence the proportion appearing above water is 
seldom less in elevation than one seventh of the 
whole thickness ; and when the elevation is conical, 
it is often equal to one fourth of the whole depth of 
the berg. 

Icebergs are seldom dangerous, as they can be 
easily distinguished in the night, though fatal acci- 
dents have occurred from running upon them. They 
are sometimes valuable friends to the whale fishers. 



POLAR REGIONS. 69 

They do not move so fast to leeward in gales as the 
drift ice, and vessels are frequently moored to them, 
while the loose floes and fields are passing, and thus 
lose less ground. In strong adverse winds, they 
hinder ships from making lee-way. 

All ice becomes fragile toward the close of the 
whale fishery, and grows loose in its texture. Bergs 
in this state being struck with an axe for the purpose 
of fixing an anchor, have been known to split asun- 
der, and precipitate the seamen into the chasm ; 
while occasionally the masses have fallen in contrary 
directions, burying men and boats in one common 
ruin. But to rehearse all the possible, probable, or 
certain dangers of arctic navigation, would require 
a much larger volume than this. 

The formidable barrier already described, when 
it occurs, is regularly encountered by the whale 
ships, in the month of April, but is usually removed 
by natural means as the season advances. In May 
the ice becomes porous and decays, the drift ice is 
liberated, and before the end of the month the winds 
and waves break up the whole mass. Ships do not, 
however, wait for this event, but penetrate the ice 
under sail, and by cutting and sawing a passage. 

Whales are seen in the open sea, or in the holes 
between the masses of ice. White whales are sel- 
dom seen but in open water. Of the whole tribe 
of this species, the balaena mysticetus, or common 
black whale, is the most inveterately pursued by 
man. An account of the manner of taking whales, 
naturally follows here. 

Every ship engaged in this branch of commerce, 



70 POLAR REGIONS. 

from British ports, is furnished with six boats, besides 
the ship's, or jolly, boat. One of them is called the 
gig-boat, or No. 1 : the remaining five are distin- 
guished only by their number. The gig is provided 
with six oars, besides the steersman's ; the rest have 
only five oars each, with the same exception : in all, 
the harpooner uses the bow or foremost oar. Each 
boat is provided with three lines, of 120 fathoms each, 
made of the very soundest hemp, as on the faith- 
fulness of the line the success of capture depends. 
These lines are coiled with great care and nicety, 
in a square frame in the middle of the boat, and the 
harpooner has his weapon ready in a dry place, to 
set it on a seat prepared for that purpose on the 
right bow of the boat. The boat-steerer, who must 
be trained to his station, as, in emergency, his cour- 
age and caution may not only secure success, but 
save the lives of the men, is provided with a long 
oar, with which he dexterously directs the motion 
of the boat. Each boat is provided with a tin trum- 
pet, to announce the station or movement in case of 
being enveloped in a fog, and also with a piece of 
bunting attached to a short pole by way of signal 
flag. 

Thus equipped, the boats are suspended by a sim- 
ple machinery of blocks and ropes.by the ship's sides 
ready to be lowered- in an instant. To the main- 
mast, is attached, at a great elevation, usually about 
100 feet above the deck, a structure resembling a wa- 
ter-cask, called a crow's nest, or hurricane-house, in 
which the master or confidential officer is stationed 
with a telescope on the look-out ; and to such as have 



POLAR REGIONS. 71 

not witnessed the fatigues of that station, a recital 
of its dangerous hardships would appear incredible. 
In the sudden transitions from intense cold to the 
most annoying heat, whilst the head is involved in 
the blaze of an eternally unclouded sun, that blisters 
the face and blinds the strongest vision, that situation 
must be inflexibly maintained, and such perseve- 
rance often costs the individual the loss of health 
and life. 

If the ship's station be on what is considered good 
fishing ground, which is commonly known from the 
water being of a deep olive colour, a boat or two 
being kept continually on the watch, the moment a 
whale is descried, the pursuit is commenced without 
loss of a second of time ; and as the ordinary speed 
of the whale-boats is six miles an hour, a very short 
space of time is sufficient to bring them to the spot. 
The whale, on first rising, seeing no enemy near, 
and not apprehending danger, is apt to repose a 
considerable time at the surface, apparently ' stretch- 
ed out o'er many a rood,' and the boats are mean- 
time advancing to the place. ' Give way,' is then 
the word with which the rowers urge their speed, 
and the harpooner, with desperate and determined 
energy, buries his weapon in the animal's body. 
This is usually followed by a moment's awful pause ; 
the whale, upon feeling the smart of the barb, trem- 
bles for an instant in his posture, darts precipitate- 
ly forward, or sinks by an unaccountable effort with 
the suddenness of so much lead. If the harpoon 
remain fast, the line continuing to run with immeas- 
urable velocity, the flag of the boat is displayed in 



72 POLAR REGIONS. 

token of success, when all in the boats within siffht 
of the transaction, and those on board the ship, join 
in a wild irregular cry of ' A fall, a fall,' and a flag 
is immediately run up to the mizen-mast head, to 
proclaim the vessel's good fortune. 

In the mean while the other boats are despatched 
to aid in the capture ; and no sooner does the animal 
rise again, than the next harpooner secures him by 
a second wound, and so as many follow as can, 
until by multiplied efforts to escape, compelled to 
rise for breath, and then almost instantly visited with 
the instruments of death, exhaustion follows, and 
he becomes a bestunned object for the hunter's de- 
liberate aim, when, from the numberless plunges of 
the lance, the vital current becomes spent, and the 
animal dies. Such an event is not always unattend- 
ed with danger to the fishers. 

Often in the first instance of being stricken, if 
recollection of similar injury aid its anger, the re- 
taliation of the animal is destructive, for, rushing 
backwards, in which direction the assailants usually 
advance, a single touch of the tail is sufficient for 
their destruction. The sudden violence with which 
the animal descends, frequently produces a similar 
effect if the line happen to meet obstruction in its 
course ; and in the dying scene, pierced with many 
wounds, the animal exhibits a terrific object by the 
mightiness of his efforts, though quite unconscious 
of the grand effects produced by such exertions. 
Spouting a column of apparent flame, which, de- 
scending, covers the sea with a crimsoned surface 
of acres in extent, at the same time lashing the 



POLAR REGIONS. 73 

water all around into foam by the strokes of the 
fins and tail, now and then endeavouring to re- 
plunge in hopes of escaping, in which effort half of 
the body, towards the tail, is seen above water. 
The danger so obvious is carefully avoided by the 
boat's crew, at that crisis cautioned to remain at a 
secure distance, when the lines fastened to the har- 
poons are slowly drawn in, till the animal reappears 
and breathes his last. 

The whale, after death, always turns on his back. 
The fins are then lashed together, perforations are 
made in the tail, and a rope is passed through, and 
thence round the rump ; when all the boats, pass- 
ing lines from one to the other, proceed to tow the 
carcass towards the ship, which is usually so man- 
aged as to meet them, in order to lessen the fatigue. 
When brought alongside, the body is properly se- 
cured for the operation of flinching. This con- 
sists in digging off the blubber, or cellular substance, 
from the muscular parts, in large slips, sometimes 
of half a ton weight, but all of a regular form, which 
are lifted on deck by the help of the windlass, and 
the labor of many hands, who toil incessantly until 
the spoliation is completed. The whalebone, as it 
is called, is carefully dug out, as well as the massy 
tongue ; the former for its peculiar importance, and 
the latter as being almost entirely composed of blub- 
ber. The bones of the lower jaw are also removed, 
being a private perquisite of the Captain ; and so 
would be the frontal or crown bone too, were it not 
for the extreme difficulty of separating it from the 
body. Then finally the remotest joint that can be 
7 



74 POLAR REGIONS. 

marked in the lumbar vertebrae or rump, is severed, 
and the crang, the residue of the animal, as it is call- 
ed, with its abdominal contents, is suffered to sink, 
which it instantly does, to the bottom. 

When the flinched pieces are hoisted on deck, 
they are cut into squares, and tossed into the body 
of the vessel, where they remain for a convenient 
opportunity of reducing them to hand-breadth slips, 
which is done by chopping them, upon portions of 
the tail, with heavy knives ; and this procedure, 
which is called ' making off,' is final for the trans- 
mission of blubber to the English ports from the 
fishing grounds. The reduced pieces are for that 
purpose placed in large casks, and closely bunged 
up, to prevent the action of the air from producing 
the process of putrefaction. 

During the foregoing operations, the utmost pre- 
cautions- are observed that no portion of muscular 
flesh be mixed with the cellular parts, as the violent 
explosion of the cask would be the consequence, 
when coming into southern climates. Similar con- 
cern is also evinced that the sawdust should not 
have admission into the casks containing the blub- 
ber, from an experience that the casks in such case 
are more certainly burst by the evolution of gasses 
in an earlier stage of putrefaction, than even by the 
presence of the former. To prevent the first from 
happening, the muscular parts, and skin, are care- 
fully cut away in the ' making off,' and the saw-dust 
is employed so cautiously and in such small quan- 
tities, that no abuse of that dangerous material can 
be apprehended. The chief reason why saw-dust 



POLAR REGIONS. ?5 

is used, is for the purpose of drying up the oily 
effusions that incommode the men in the use of 
the respective implements necessary to effect the 
operations of flinching" and making off. The use 
of fir-timber dust on such occasions cleanses the 
hands and instruments, with a ready and efficient 
result; and the ship boys are stationed so as to 
supply the dem?nds of the officers in this respect. 
The integuments of the whale are, like the ani- 
mal himself, widely different from those of every 
other creature. The epidermis is like thin parch- 
ment, flexible when on the body, easily detach- 
ed, wrinkled according to the age of the animal., 
and corresponding with the organization of the mus- 
cles beneath ; but, when dry, it is horny and brittle, 
and in consistence similar to the finer lamina of the 
whalebone. The true skin is about an inch thick 
in its full character, and is formed of a material 
analogous to the whalebone, but breaks, when dry. 
in perpendicular fissures : it is usually a deep brown- 
ish black, and, when soft, strongly resembles gum 
elastic. In composition it seems to differ very lit- 
tle from the substance that constitutes the matricu- 
lar bed of the whalebone ; the white color of the 
latter forming the only distinction, except that its 
fracture is shelving. The cellular tissue, or blub- 
ber, is, in its average thickness, twelve inches; in. 
the very young whale, being gelatinous — in the 
more advanced and vigorous, of a florid red, when 
it is considered most valuable ; and in the aged 
animal, yellow and tough, from the induration of in- 
creased and condensed fibre : for which reason, the 



76 POLAR REGIONS. 

older whales are not so much an object, where 
choice presents, as those of less advanced growth. 

The older ones are also more dangerous and dif- 
ficult to take, both from the rigidity of their frame, 
and their experience of injury. It is not unusual, 
when they happen to be disturbed in the pursuits 
that draw them from their retreats, that, if a partner 
be wounded, the affectionate companion comes to 
give relief, not knowing the cause of the pain, or of 
the sudden flight. In the search, the watchful 
fisher strikes the new prey, when the tortured an- 
imals, seeking each other in their anguish, and 
desperate with their wounds, often run foul of the 
boats, and involve their pursuers in the ruin that 
overwhelms themselves. In some instances, as here- 
tofore observed, they, by running among packed 
ice, or rubbing the line against the edge of a flaw, 
(a portion of field ice,) frequently chafe it so as to 
make it snap, and so escape for the moment ; but they 
are seldom eventually safe. On such occasions, 
they cease not to run for an unknown length, until 
fatigue or death makes them insensible of pain. To 
some such occurrence is to be attributed the cir- 
cumstance of a whale being captured with a har- 
poon imbedded in its body, after traversing the un- 
known seas between Spitsbergen and Davis' Straits. 



POLAR REGIONS. 77 



CHAPTER HI. 



Early History of the Whale Fishery.— Of the Manner in which a Whals 
Ship is manned. — The Crow's Nest. — "Whale Boats. — Implements used in 
the Whale Fishery. — Whale Killing. — Danger of Striking. 

It is on record that whale fishing was followed 
as a regular occupation as early as in the reign of 
Alfred the Great ; but wherever it might have been 
conducted in the time of the Saxon monarch, it is 
certain that the Icelanders were the first people that 
plied the harpoon in the seas of Greenland. They 
united their means with those of the Biscayan 
whalers, and in the latter part of the sixteenth cen- 
tury the two nations employed fifty or sixty vessels 
annually, in this branch of commerce. England 
sent no ship to fish in these unknown waters till the 
year sixteen hundred and eleven. The Dutch fol- 
lowed four years after. All the early adventurers 
manned their ships with Biscayans, as the only per- 
sons qualified in hardihood, courage, and experi- 
ence, to conduct the business. There were two 
principals in each ship, one of whom had the charge 
of the ship on her passage to and from Greenland.- 
and the other, who was always a Biscayan, had the 
unlimited control of the fishery. In the course of 
time, other people equalled the Biscayans in skill, 
and they lost their exclusive employment. 

The office of chief harpooner, which requires 
great courage and consummate experience, is con- 
fided, in the Greenland whale ships, to a person 



78 POLAR REGIONS. 

called the specksioneer, It is the specksioneer's duty 
to superintend the extraction and boiling of the fat. 
The crew of a Greenland whaler usually consists 
of forty or fifty persons, comprising masters, harpoon- 
ers,boatsteerers, line managers, carpenters, coopers, 
foremast men, and apprentices. Each individual, 
from the master to the boys, receives a gratuity for 
every fish stricken, or for every ton of oil made, as 
a stimulus to exertion. Masters and harpooners 
receive a small sum before sailing, in place of 
monthly wages ; and if they procure no cargo, they 
must expect nothing beside for their voyage. In 
the event of a successful voyage, they have consid- 
erable advantages. The master receives three guin- 
eas for each size fish, and as much for striking a 
size whale, or for discovering a dead one, beside 
from ten to twenty shillings per ton on the oil made, 
and commonly a twentieth, or at least a thirtieth 
of the value of the whole cargo into the bargain. 
While he remains on shore, he has five pounds a 
month for his attendance on the ship. Each har- 
pooner has six shillings a ton on oil, and half a 
guinea for every size fish he strikes during the 
voyage. In addition to this, the chief mate, who is 
usually also a harpooner, has two guineas a month 
while at sea, and a guinea for each size fish. The 
specksioneer has half a guinea a fish, and sometimes 
a trifle on every ton of oil. The boat steerers, fore- 
mast men, &c, all receive some small premium on 
every ton of oil made. 

The crow's nest is an apparatus placed at the top- 
gallant-mast head, as a watch tower for the use of the 



POLAR REGIONS. 79 

man on the look out. In difficult situations in the 
ice, his presence may be required in the crow's 
nest for hours together, even when the temperature 
is twenty degrees below the freezing point, or 
more. For the preservation of his health, as well 
as for the sake of comfort, a piece of canvass is 
stretched round the base of the top-gallant-mast 
rigging, or a kind of canvass cask is put up to pro- 
tect him from the wind. The entrance, in the 
latter case, is through a trap in the bottom. The 
crow's nest is furnished with a seat, a telescope, a 
speaking trumpet, and a rifle gun. The latter is to 
kill narwhales, which cannot easily be shot from 
the deck on account of the resistance of the water 
horizontally. Firing almost perpendicularly down- 
ward from the mast head, is oftener successful. 

The dangers to whale ships are manifold, and 
beside the risk of being wrecked, they are some- 
times beset by the ice, and compelled to winter in 
it. Such events do not occur so frequently in mod- 
ern times as formerly, though the fishery is carried 
on in higher latitudes. This is to be attributed to 
the extraordinary exertions of the whalemen. They 
seek the most protected situations, keep a constant 
watch, and remove their ships on the first approach 
of danger. If so beset as to be unable to move, they 
saw channels through the solid ice, into which they 
push their vessels, and commonly preserve them. 

A well constructed whaleboat floats lightly on 
the water, is capable of being rowed with great 
speed, and of being speedily turned — carries six or 
seven men, seven or eight hundred weight of lines, 



80 POLAR REGIONS. 

with various other materials, and yet retains the 
properties of safety, buoyancy and celerity, either in 
smooth water or in a considerable sea. A ' six oar- 
ed boat' is about twentyseven feet long, and near 
six feet broad. These boats are built of fir boards 
upon an oaken frame, and in such a manner as to 
be easily repaired when damaged. The bow and 
stern are both sharp, and the keel is depressed in 
the middle for greater convenience in turning. 

As harpoons may be seen in every ship-chand- 
ler's shop, there is no need of describing them here. 
Another weapon used to despatch the whale is the 
lance, which is an iron spear, six feet long, with a 
wooden stock or handle of the length of four feet. 
These two weapons, with the necessary appenda- 
ges of boats and lines, are sufficient for the capture 
of the greatest whale that ever swam. There is, be- 
side, a kind of harpoon which is shot from a gun, 
but being difficult to adjust, it is seldom used. 
Every boat is fitted with two harpoons, six or eight 
lances, a flag for signals, and an axe to cut the line 
in case of accident. The boat is steered with a 
long oar, for reasons too obvious to require expla- 
nation. 

The harpooner rows the bow oar. It is his duty, 
as his title implies, to strike and despatch the whale, 
and, to guide the lines. He has command of the 
boat. The boat steerer is next in command, and 
intimates the motions of the whale to the harpooner. 

A whale swimming near the surface of the sea 
leaves behind him an eddy resembling the wake of 
a ship, by which his course may be traced, as well 



POLAR REGIONS. 81 

as by the flocks of birds that follow, and hover over 
him. 

When a whale lies still upon the water, unconscious 
of the presence of its enemies, the harpooner com- 
mands to row the boat directly upon it, and the in- 
stant before the boat touches, buries his harpoon in 
its back. But if, while the boat is at a small dis- 
tance, the animal indicates an intention to dive, by 
raising its head and then plunging it under water, 
raising its back till it appears like the segment of a 
sphere, the harpoon is thrown from the hand, at 
the distance of perhaps ten yards. Then is the 
moment of danger : the wounded whale, in its sur- 
prise and agony, makes a convulsive effort, The 
boat is liable to receive terrible blows from its head 
or fins, but more especially from its tremendous 
tail, which sometimes involves boats and men m 
common destruction. The head of the whale is 
avoided as impenetrable, but any part between the 
head and tail will admit the whole length of the 
harpoon. 

The first effort of a ' fast fish,' or one that has 
been struck, is to escape from the boat by sinking 
under water. After this, it dives directly downward, 
or appears again near the surface at a little dis- 
tance, and swims with great celerity towards any 
neighbouring ice that may afford it an imaginary 
shelter. Sometimes it shows its bulk above water, 
and gives evidence of its pain by convulsive throes, 
beating the water with its enormous tail and fins. 
The downward course of a whale is, however, the 
most common, 



82 POLAR REGIONS. 

A whale struck near the edge of a large sheet of 
ice, and passing under it, will sometimes run all 
the lines out of a boat in ten minutes. When this 
happens, and there is no other boat nigh to assist, 
the whale, harpoon, and lines are sometimes all 
lost together. In such cases, to retard the whale 
as much as possible, it is usual for the harpooner 
to cast one or more turns of the line round a kind 
of post called a bollard, which is fixed at the bow 
of the boat for that purpose. The friction of the 
line would set fire to the bollard, if the harpooner 
was not careful to keep it constantly wet. In the 
capture of one whale, a groove is sometimes cut in 
it an inch deep. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Farther Account of Whale Killing. — Length of Time required to kill a Whale. 
— Character of the Whalemen. — Anecdotes of the Greenland Fishery. 

The utmost care and attention are necessary while 
the line is running out. Fatal consequences follow 
the most trifling neglect. When the line becomes 
for an instant entangled, the boat is drawn under 
water, and if no other boat or piece of ice be at 
hand, the crew have to swim for their lives. To 
provide against such accidents, -as well as to have 
additional lines in readiness, it is usual for two 
boats to go in company. 

After a whale has been struck, the average ve- 



POLAR REGIONS. 83 

locity of his descent for the first three hundred 
fathoms is ten miles an hour, and his stay under 
water is about thirty minutes. The faster he de- 
scends, and the longer he remains under water, 
the greater is his exhaustion, and the consequent 
facility of his capture, As soon as he reappears, 
the assisting boats approach, and plunge as many 
harpoons into him as possible. The noise made 
by his tail in his dying struggle may frequently be 
heard several miles. 

Whales are sometimes captured, with a single 
harpoon, in the space of fifteen minutes. Some- 
times they resist fifty or sixty hours, and at times 
they will break three or four lines at once, or tear 
themselves clear of the harpoons by the violence of 
their struggles. Generally the capture of a whale 
depends on the activity of the harpooner, the state 
of the wind and weather, or the peculiar conduct 
of the animal itself. Under the most favorable cir- 
cumstances, when the whalemen are very active, 
the ice very open, or the sea clear of ice, and the 
weather fine, the length of time does not exceed 
an hour. The general average, in every variety of 
circumstances, may be stated at two hours. 

There is no difference in the mode of killing 
large and small whales. The capture of a small 
whale is easiest ; but it sometimes happens that a 
young fish gives more trouble than a full grown one. 
It is not uncommon for a small whale to run down- 
ward till it is completely exhausted, and being una- 
ble to return to the surface, to suffocate in the wa- 
ter. It is necessary that a whale thus drowned 



84 POLAR REGIONS. 

should be drawn up by the line, which is a tedious 
and laborious operation. To guard against this, its 
descent is resisted by a tight steady strain on the 
line, and also by pulling, the instant it stops, in 
order to increase the pain, and thereby induce the 
animal to return to the surface, where it can be 
slain and secured without farther ado. 

Instances have occurred where whales have been 
taken without being struck at all, simply by en- 
tangling themselves in the lines that had been used 
to destroy others, and struggling till they were 
drowned or died of exhaustion. 

It would be unjust to conclude this subject with- 
out mentioning the singular courage and intrepidity 
evinced by the men employed in the capture of the 
whale. Trained to the occupation from boyhood, 
and induced by rewards of much importance in their 
stations, such qualifications are highly recommen 
datory in their application for employment; and in 
their voyage, should ' good luck ' attend their exer- 
tions, and an implicit devotedness to the interests 
of the owner be evinced, their advancement and 
emolument are certain. Some instances of their 
risks and adventures will convey a better idea of 
these matters than anything we can write on the 
subject. 

On the eighth of July 1813, the ship Esk lay by 
the edge of a large sheet of ice, in which there 
were several thin parts, and some holes. Here a 
whale being heard blowing, a harpoon, with a line 
fastened to it, was conveyed across the ice, from a 
boat on guard, and the barpooner succeeded in strik- 



POLAR REGIONS. 85 

ing the whale, at the distance of three hundred 
and fifty yards from the verge. It dragged out ten 
lines, (2400 yards) and was supposed to be seen 
blowing in different holes in the ice. After some 
time it made its appearance on the exterior, and 
was again struck, at the moment it was about to go 
under the second time. About an hundred yards 
from the edge, it broke the ice where it was a foot 
thick, with its head, and respired through the open- 
ing. It then pushed forward, breaking the ice as it 
advanced, in spite of the lances constantly directed 
against it. At last it reached a kind of basin in the 
field, where it floated on the surface without any in- 
cumbrance from ice. Its back being fairly exposed, 
the harpoon struck from the boat on the outside, 
was observed to be so slightly entangled, that it was 
ready to drop out. Some of the officers lamented 
this circumstance, and wished that the harpoon 
might be better fast; at the same time observing 
that if it should slip out, either the fish would be 
lost, or they would be under the necessity of flinch- 
ing it where it lay, and of dragging the blubber 
over the ice to the ship ; a kind and degree of labor 
every one was anxious to avoid. No sooner was 
the wish expressed, and its importance explained, 
titan a young and daring sailor stepped forward, and 
offered to strike the harpoon deeper. Not at all 
intimidated by the surprise manifested on every 
countenance at such a bold proposal, he leaped on 
the back of the living whale, and cut the harpoon 
out with his pocket knife. Stimulated by his gal- 
lant example, one of his companions proceeded to 
8 



86 POLAR REGIONS. 

his assistance. While one of them hauled upon the 
line and held it in his hands, the other set his shoul- 
der against the end of the harpoon, and though it was 
without a stock, contrived to strike it again into the 
fish more effectually than at first ! The whale was 
in motion before they had finished. After they got 
off its back, it advanced a considerable distance, 
breaking the ice all the way, and survived this novel 
treatment ten or fifteen minutes. This daring deed 
was of essential service. The whale fortunately 
sunk spontaneously after it expired ; on which it 
was hauled out under the ice by the line and secured 
without farther trouble. It proved a mighty whale ; 
a very considerable prize. 

In 1822, two boats belonging to the ship Baffin 
went in pursuit of a whale. John Carr was har- 
pooner and commander of one of them. The 
whale they pursued led them into a vast shoal of 
his own species ; they were so numerous that their 
blowing was incessant, and they believed that they 
did not see fewer than an hundred. Fearful of 
alarming them without striking any, they remained 
for a while motionless. At last, one rose near 
Carr's boat, and he approached, and fatally for him- 
self, harpooned it. When he struck, the fish was 
approaching the boat ; and, passing very rapidly, 
jerked the line out of its place over the stern, and 
threw it upon the gunwale. Its pressure in this 
unfavorable position so careened the boat, that the 
side was pulled under water, and it began to fill. 
In this emergency, Carr, who was a brave, active 
man, seized the line, and endeavoured to relieve the 



POLAR REGIONS. 87 

boat by restoring it to its place ; but, by some cir- 
cumstance which was never accounted for, a turn 
of the line flew over his arm, dragged him over- 
board in an instant, and drew him under the water, 
never more to rise. So sudden was the accident, 
that only one man, who was watching him, saw 
what had happened ; so that when the boat righted, 
which it immediately did, though half full of water, 
the whole crew on looking round inquired what 
had become of Carr. It is impossible to imagine a 
death more awfully sudden and unexpected. The 
invisible bullet could not have effected more instan- 
taneous destruction. The velocity of the whale at 
its first descent is from thirteen to fifteen feet per 
second. Now as this unfortunate man was adjust- 
ing the line at the water's very edge, where it must 
have been perfectly tight, owing to its obstruction 
in running out of the boat, the interval between the 
fastening the line about him and his disappearance 
could not have exceeded the third part of a second 
of time, for in one second only he must have been 
dragged ten or twelve feet deep. Indeed he had 
not time for the least exclamation ; and the person 
who saw his removal, observed that it was so ex- 
ceeding quick, that though his eye was upon him 
at the moment, he could scarcely distinguish his 
figure as he disappeared. 

As soon as the crew recovered from their con- 
sternation, they applied themselves to the needful 
attention which the lines required. A second har- 
poon was struck from the accompanying boat on the 
raising of the whale to the surface, and some lances 



88 POLAR REGIONS. 

were applied, but this melancholy occurrence had 
cast such a damp on all present, that they became 
timid and inactive in their subsequent duties. The 
whale when nearly exhausted was allowed to re- 
main some minutes unmolested, till having recover- 
ed some degree of energy, it made a violent effort 
and tore itself away from both harpoons. The 
exertions of the crews thus proved fruitless, and 
were attended with serious loss. 

In 1802, the Raith of Leith, while prosecuting 
the whale fishery on the coast of Labrador, discov- 
ered a large whale at a short distance. Four boats 
were despatched in pursuit, and two of them suc- 
ceeded so well in approaching it that two harpoons 
were struck at the same moment. The whale 
descended a few fathoms in the direction of anoth- 
er of the boats, which was advancing, rose beneath 
it, struck it with its head, and threw the boat, men 
and apparatus, fifteen feet into the air. The boat 
was inverted by the blow, and fell into the water 
keel uppermost. All the crew were picked up by 
the fourth boat, which was close at hand, excepting 
one man, who, being entangled in the boat, fell un- 
der it, and was consequently drowned. The whale 
was afterward killed. 



POLAR REGIONS. 89 



CHAPTER V. 

Account of the Discovery of Greenland. — Early History. — America discovered 
by Icelanders. — Greenlandic Colony in America. — First Appearance of the 
Esquimaux. — Black Death and Loss of Greenland. — Attempts at Redis- 
covery and Recolonization. — Greenland recolonized by Hans Egede. 

To Icelanders belongs the honor of the discov- 
ery of Greenland. A certain Gunbioern, being 
driven westward in a storm, was the first that saw 
its shores. This was soon after the colonization of 
Iceland. No attempt was, however, made to col- 
onize Greenland at that time. But an Icelandic 
noble, by name Eric Raude or the Red, having 
killed another of his own rank, found it expedient 
to fly from the avengers of blood to some remote 
asylum. Accordingly, in 982, he repaired to Green- 
land, and first came in sight of land at Herjolf s Ness ; 
then proceeding southwest along the coast, he win- 
tered on what he called a pleasant island. Having 
spent three years in exploring the coast, he return- 
ed to Iceland, where he promulgated such a glow- 
ing description of the new land that great num- 
bers of his countrymen followed him thither the 
ensuing spring. No less than twentyfive ships 
sailed in his company, of which only fourteen reach- 
ed the place of their destination, the rest being ei- 
ther lost or driven back to Iceland. In the course of 
years, new swarms of colonists arrived from Iceland 
and Norway, and settled so thick on the east and 
west coast, that their number was computed to be 
8* 



90 POLAR REGIONS. 

equal to the third part of the population of a Da- 
nish episcopal diocese. 

Much discrepancy exists in the accounts of these 
settlements by the early historians of Iceland ; but 
all agree that there were several establishments be- 
tween HerjolPs Ness and Staten Hunk on the east- 
ern shore. As many as nineteen are enumerated 
and described. Their account too of the climate 
and of the animal and vegetable kingdoms are total- 
ly at variance with the experience of the present 
day. The early history of the colonies is little 
more than a bulletin of broils and murders, many of 
them caused by the zeal of the first Christian con- 
verts, and by the fanaticism of the Pagans. 

The Greenlanders became tributary to Denmark 
in A. D. 1023, which was soon after they embraced 
Christianity. They erected themselves into a bish- 
opric, and there is a long list of their bishops on 
record. There is no evidence that such a thing as 
a military force ever existed among them, but there 
is sufficient proof that they had ships, and were well 
skilled in navigation ; and it is incontestible that 
America was first discovered by them. To this 
effect we have the concurring testimony of Arngrim 
Jonas and Torfaeus, corroborated by that of Adam 
Bremensis, who wrote about the time of the discov- 
ery. We opine that this curious piece of history 
should not be passed over in silence. 

According to these authorities, Biorn, the son of 
Herjolf, on his way to Greenland from Norway, 
was driven by a storm to the southwest, where he 
discovered a flat, well-wooded country, and next to 



POLAR REGIONS. 91 

an island. After this, lie steered directly to Green- 
land. 

When his discovery became known, Leif, the son 
of Eric Raude, emulous of his father's fame as a nav- 
igator and discoverer, fitted out a ship and sailed in 
company with Biorn. The first land they saw was 
stoney and barren, and they called it Flatland. 
Then they came to another shore, which they de- 
nominated Markland or Level land. Two days af- 
ter, they came in sight of another coast, and sailed up 
a river the banks of which were covered with bushes 
bearing berries, and arrived at a small lake, of all of 
which a minute description is given. Here they 
spent the winter, and found that on the shortest day 
the sun rose at eight o'clock, which determines 
the latitude of their wintering ground to have been 
in 49° north, probably on the island of Newfound- 
land, or in the river St Lawrence. 

They found grapes here, from which circum- 
stance they called the country Wineland. In the 
spring, they returned to Greenland. 

The next year, Thorwald, Lief s brother, return- 
ed. He fell in with a party of natives, who from 
the description of them must have been Esqui- 
maux. In contempt of their small stature and mis- 
erable appearance, the Greenlanders killed them all, 
excepting one man, who made a timely escape. 
They bestowed upon these savages the contempt- 
uous appellation of Skroelings, or dwarfs. 

They were in their turn attacked by the despised 
Skroelings, and Thorwald their leader paid for his 
cruelty with his life. His people returned home 



92 POLAR REGIONS. 

the next spring. A colony was settled in Wine- 
land, and a trade was carried on between it and 
Greenland for more then a century. Civil dissen- 
sions finally destroyed it, and the colonists perished. 
He who doubts these statements, or wishes to learn 
the history in detail, may refer to the authors al- 
ready given as authority. 

The first Skroelings or Esquimaux seen by the 
Scandenavian colonists were those slaughtered by 
Thorwald, and his crew in Wineland. Suddenly in 
the fourteenth century, they made their appearance 
in West Greenland, where they killed eighteen of 
the settlers, and then fled. This happened, accord- 
ing to Torfseus, in 1349. Since that time the 
Northern annals are silent respecting these savages, 
and all accounts of the history of Greenland draw 
to a close soon after. 

About the year 1350, a horrible pestilence, called 
the Black Death, made terrible ravages among the 
colonists. It is said to have been so virulent as not 
only to destroy animal life, but to annihilate the 
whole vegetable kingdom of Greenland, leaving the 
land blasted and desolate. It began in the north 
of Europe, and thence extended to Iceland and 
Greenland. The wretched remnant of the colonists 
drew together on the eastern shore. By degrees 
their trade was neglected. In the fifteenth century 
all access to the coast was cut off by the before 
mentioned change in the position of the ice, and no 
more was ever known of them. There are some 
vague accounts of their having been seen at times 
from vessels that had succeeded in getting nigh the 



POLAR REGIONS. 93 

coast ; but it amounts to certainty, that by some means 
or other they perished, root and branch, and left 
none the slightest vestige of their existence behind. 

In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, Martin Frobish- 
er discovered Greenland, and penetrated the strait 
known by his name. His attempts were succeeded 
by those of John Davis, who discovered Davis' 
Straits, and actually landed in Greenland, at the 
mouth of Baal's River, and traded with the natives. 
Button, Hudson and Baffin, in seeking for a north- 
west passage, added much to the knowledge of arc- 
tic geography. 

In 1605 Christian II. of Denmark, sent three ships 
to look for lost Greenland. They landed, took six 
savages prisoners, of whom they killed one, to awe 
the rest into submission, and returned to Denmark, 
The fate of the prisoners was melancholy. They 
pined for their native land, and at last escaping, put 
to sea in their canoes to return thither. Being driv- 
en back by a storm to the coast of Denmark, they 
w r ere retaken, and three of them died of grief. Two 
of the survivors again attempted flight, but one of 
them was recovered. Two of them were kept in 
Denmark ten "or eleven years, and employed in the 
pearl fishery at Coldingen. Here they were so 
rigorously tasked, even in winter, that one of them 
sunk under the load of life. The other once more 
fled, but was retaken more than an hundred miles 
from land, and died broken-hearted. 

In 1606 three more vessels sailed to Greenland; 
but the natives were so exasperated at the treatment 
they had received, that they would allow the crew 



94 POLAR REGIONS. 

no intercourse with the shore. Two more ships 
were despatched, which failed to reach the land on 
account of the ice, and Christian gave up the pro- 
ject of settling Greenland, in despair. 

In 1636, a company of Copenhagen merchants 
fitted out two ships for Greenland. The crew land- 
ed on a beach of glittering yellow sand, with which 
they loaded their ships, imagining they had found a 
second Ophir. On their return to Copenhagen, it 
was examined, and proved to be wholly worthless, 
and the chancellor ordered it to be thrown into the 
sea. They had, however, what was of more value, 
in the horns of the narwhale, which they sold as 
the horns of the land unicorn, at six thousand rix 
dollars apiece. 

During seven successive reigns, the Danes were 
assiduous to find and repossess the lost land of their 
ancestors. The accomplishment of this purpose was 
reserved for the pious zeal of Hans Egede, who ad- 
dressed a memorial to Frederic IV., praying to be 
employed in the conversion of the Greenland sava- 
ges. He was stimulated to this exertion by a be- 
lief that the descendants of the lost colonists, whom 
he supposed to be yet in existence, had sunk into Pa- 
ganism for want of teachers. His petition was not 
granted^ut postponed from year to year ; but still he 
persevered, and resigned his pastoral office in Nor- 
way, and his means of subsistence, that he might be in 
readiness, whenever it should please the Lord to 
call him. Men very justly regarded him as an en- 
thusiast, who had deserted his proper calling, in 
which he might have been really useful, and wan- 



POLAR REGIONS. 9-5 

dered about like a knight errant, confiding in vision- 
ary revelations. However, by his indefatigable per- 
severance, after having sustained many repulses, 
he prevailed on some private persons to fit out an 
expedition with the double motive of fishing for 
whales and converting the Esquimaux. The king 
approved the project, and gave Mr Egede an annual 
salary of sixty pounds, and he sailed in May 1721. 
On the third of July, he landed at Baal's River, and 
from this day the recolonization of Greenland may 
be dated. 

He found the Greenlanders distrustful of their 
new guests, and very unwilling that any permanent 
settlement should be formed. After a while he so 
far overcame the obstinacy of some of them, that 
they consented to receive baptism. 

We have neither room nor inclination to pursue 
the history of a few small and miserable settlements 
farther. Of good fishermen and Greenlanders, Mr 
Egede made a good many bad Christians, and the 
Danish authorities keep them nominally such to this 
day. 



96 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Climate of Greenland. — Seasons and Weather. — Lengthof Days and Nights. — 
Flora of Greenland. — Greenlandic Gardens. — General Remarks. — Voyage 
of Captain Ross. 

It will be readily believed, that in a country like 
Greenland, where the snow and ice are eternal, the 
cold must be severe. Yet it may be borne while 
the sun shines one or two hours daily. No general 
observations on the climate or weather of a land 
which comprises so many degrees of latitude will 
be strictly applicable to all its parts, and we shall 
therefore take Disko as our example, leaving the 
reader to draw his own inferences respecting the 
other districts of Greenland. 

In the beginning of January, the ice and hoar frost 
at Disko extend down the chimneys to the stoves, 
and are not thawed by any fire that may be made 
during the day. All parts of the houses are cover- 
ed with a thick coat of congelation. The breath of 
the sleeper freezes, and glues the bed-clothes to 
the bed. Meat must be hewed to pieces with an 
axe ; and when put into boiling water, the outside is 
cooked before the inside is thawed. Ink, beer, and 
strong waters freeze, and burst the bottles. Spirits 
of wine, of the highest proof, acquire the consistency 
of frozen oil. However, this intense cold seldom 
lasts more than four or five days, without being in- 
terrupted by a thaw. 

The strongest frost sets in about New Year's 



POLAR REGIONS. 97 

day, and is in February and March so intense as to 
cleave large stones ; and vapor rises from the sea 
as from an oven. This is called the frost smoke. 
Those who venture out into it are aware of a dark- 
ness, but not of the piercing cold which is felt in a 
dry atmosphere, though their hair and clothes are 
stiffened with rime. The frost smoke is apt to 
raise blisters on the hair and skin, and when the 
air is sufficiently coH, congeals into minute pellicles, 
which are driven belore the wind, and cause such a 
degree of cold on shore that it is impossible to stir 
out of doors, without freezing. At such times the 
straits and bays are ice-locked, and the natives are 
in danger of starvation. 

The summer begins in May and ends in Septem- 
ber, and in the interval between them the Green- 
landers live in tents. The earth, however, is not 
thawed before June, and even then to no great 
depth. Snow continues to fall during this month 
and recommences in August, though it does not 
lie till October. In the long summer days, in bays 
and vallies, where the sun's rays are concentrated, 
it is sometimes needful to pull off the warmer arti- 
cles of dress. In the open sea the heat is sufficient 
to melt the pitch on the sides of vessels. Yet the 
evening breeze is so chilled by its passage over 
fields of ice, that a double covering is a barely suf- 
ficient protection from the cold. From April to Au- 
gust fogs prevail on the sea shore, and are frequently 
so dense, that the vision only reaches a few yards. 
The fine weather is most durable in autumn : even 
9 



98 POLAR REGIONS. 

then it never lasts long, and there is a constant al- 
teration, of heat in the day and cold in the night. 

The air of Greenland is pure, light, and favora- 
ble to the health of those who take proper care of 
it. The most common diseases of the country are 
scurvy, fistula, and oppression on the breast and 
eyelids, caused partly by oily diet, and in part by 
the cold and the glare of the snow. 

Lasting rains are not frequent-especially at Disko, 
where the summer is usually dry. Hail is still 
more rare. The winds are variable, but in summer 
they usually blow from the shore, and are not so 
cold but they may be endured. Yet when storms 
do arise, which is most common in autumn, the 
houses crack and tremble, tents and boats are blown 
into the air, and the sea water is showered over the 
land in a drizzling rain. Whirlwinds sometimes 
occur in summer, which raise the waters to a great 
height, and boats are often lost in the eddies. The 
greater number and the most violent of these hurri- 
canes blow from the south. If the moon be encir- 
cled by a halo, or if the evening sky be marked 
with various colors, it is considered a prognostic of 
an approaching storm. 

Above the sixtysixth degree of north latitude, for 
some time before and after midsummer, the sun never 
sets. At Godhaab, in latitude 64°, it goes down 
about twenty minutes past ten, and rises again ten 
minutes before two, being below the horizon but two 
hours and forty minutes. In June and July it is so 
light during the night that the smallest print may be 
read with facility. In the same months the moun- 



POLAR REGIONS. 99 

tain tops are constantly gilded by the sunbeams. 
During the period in which the sun does not set, 
he ceases to dazzle a few hours after noon, and 
presents the appearance of a full moon, on which 
the eye may gaze with impunity. 

The winter nights are of a proportionate length. 
In Disko Bay, the sun does not rise from the thir- 
tieth of January. The inhabitants then only enjoy 
a clear twilight, produced by the reflection of the 
sun's rays from the dense atmosphere, and from the 
adjacent mountains. Thus it is never so utterly 
dark in Greenland as in more southern countries. 
The light of the moon and stars is so strongly re- 
flected from the snow and ice, that ordinary writing 
may be read at all times of the night ; and when 
there is no moon, its absence is more than compen- 
sated by the brilliant coruscations of the Aurora 
Borealis. Parhelia and luminous haloes round the 
sun and moon are more frequently seen in Green- 
land than in warmer countries. Optical deceptions 
are of common occurrence, and have given subject 
to many a tale of wonder. 

The Greenlandic Flora shows no fairer colors 
than might be expected in such a land. The 
vallies produce nothing but mosses and a miserable 
species of grass. A few herbs, bilberry bushes, and 
other shrubs vegetate on the desert isles, and on cliffs 
which have just soil enough to suffer them to take 
root. They seem to be the last sad memorials of a 
vegetation which is about to be succeeded by other 
sterility. The most common is Cochlearia, or scur- 
vy grass, which is found in abundance wherever 



100 POLAR REGIONS. 

blubber or any other manure has prepared a soil. 
A soup is made of it, which is the best medicine 
for the scurvy and many other diseases. The other 
plants are 

Azalea, a creeper with beautiful red flowers. 
Empetrum nigrum, the crow, or crakeberry, with 
juicy blackberries and flesh-colored flowers. 
Andromeda, with violet, bell-shaped flowers. 
Rubus chamazmorus, or cloud berry, which never 
comes to maturity. 

Rumex digynus, mountain sorrel, found on ruined 
buildings. 

Angelica archangelica, eaten by the inhabitants. 
Polygonum viviparum, Alpine snakeweed. The 
root is eaten. 

Ledum palustre, wild rosemary. 
Thymos acinos, Basil thyme. 
RJiodiola rosea, Avhich is eaten. 
Beside these there are mosses and lichens, some 
of which may be used for food. The juniper is 
abundant : there are also willows and birches of an 
abortive growth, which creep along the ground. 

According to the Greenlanders, the southern part 
of the country produces wild service trees, and 
aspen poplars in abundance. 

Some attempts have been made to cultivate oats 
and barley, but they never came to perfection, 
though they shot up as high a leaf here as in other 
countries. 

The gardens cannot be very productive, as no 
seed can be sowed till the middle of June, and the 
frost recommences in September. Everything must 



POLAR REGIONS. 101 

then be taken from the ground and laid by, ex- 
cept chives, which will endure the winter. Salad 
and cabbage will not bear transplanting, and remain 
very small. Radishes thrive as well here as in any 
other country. Turnips are seldom bigger than an 
egg. These are all that can be reared in gardens ; 
nor will they even produce these, unless care be 
had to screen them from the north wind and the 
spray of the sea. 

This then is the land that the early northern navi- 
gators described as a terrestrial paradise, and to 
which they gave the name of Greenland from its 
vegetation. Either the soil and climate must have 
undergone a total change, or they were but indiffer- 
ent judges of arable lands. Barren and inhospita- 
ble as it is, the love of country abides even here. 
No people are more devotedly attached to their na- 
tive land than the poor Uskees. Of this we have 
seen a notable instance in the conduct of those who 
were carried captives to Denmark. 

Greenland is not without wherewith to interest 
the lovers of the marvellous and the romantic. Not. 
to say any thing farther of ice and icebergs, of ships 
and shipwrecks, of whales and whale killers, it is 
written that in these waters many kinds of mollusca 
and barnacles exchange their calcareous covering 
for one of feathers, and, forsaking their permanent 
submarine abodes, fly in the air in the more digni- 
fied capacities of aquatic fowls. It would perhaps 
be matter of supererogation to say that the welking 
horns and continental bulk of the kraken are no- 
where to be seen so often as in the Greenland 
9* 



102 POLAR REGIONS. 

seas — or of words which freeze in the air of mid- 
winter, and make themselves heard unbidden at the 
first thaw. Here, in the coral groves, the mermai- 
den coquets with the merman, or clears her green 
tresses on the rocks of the shore with her comb. 
Nay, she has so much of the female in her, that she 
sometimes bites at a baited hook, and becomes the 
prey of the fishermen, who tries her oil out, without 
regard to her sex. It is supposed that they have 
well endowed monasteries at the bottom of the sea ; 
for some of the masculine gender are found to 
wear cowls, and such are always the fattest. It is 
notorious, too, that one of the Sea Serpents has 
within a few years left the arctic waters, on a visit 
to Marblehead. These creatures are believed to 
be pugnacious in their propensities, to wear whiskers, 
and to glare from fiery red eyes, as big as pewter 
plates. Let all unbelievers consult Pontoppidan, 
who will give them a full account of these, and 
more marvels. 

That part of Greenland which apparently extends 
westward from the northwestern extremity of Baf- 
fin's Bay will be best described by some account of 
the late voyages of discovery in that quarter, to 
which, indeed, we are indebted for the sum of our 
knowledge. 

The first of these voyages was that of Captain 
Ross, of the British navy. This officer sailed from 
England with two ships, in 1818, to seek a passage 
to the Pacific Ocean round the northern coast of 
America. The results of his voyage were ; first, the 
discovery that Baffin's Bay really existed, a matter 



POLAR REGIONS. 103 

held doubtful since the time of Baffin ; second, by 
the determination of many points on the eastern 
shore of that bay ; third, the discovery of Lancas- 
ter's Sound ; and lastly, a series of interesting obser- 
vations on the dip of the magnetic needle. A list 
of the names of the points at which he touched, 
would be in no wise interesting. Suffice it to say 
that the general appearance of the country north of 
the Danish settlements was mountainous, barren, 
and inhospitable. 

At the place called by him the Arctic Highlands, 
he found a tribe, differing chiefly from the Green- 
landers and other Esquimaux, in having no canoes, 
nor other means of floating except on pieces of ice, 
yet living by fishing and sealing. They had never 
seen white men before, nor had they any knowledge 
of their existence. In language, dress, manners, 
character, and personal appearance, they were like 
all other Esquimaux. As we propose to speak 
more at large on the subject of this race in another 
chapter, we forbear to give the fruits of the obser- 
vations of Captain Ross, though they are well worthy 
of more attention. 

Having added much to our knowledge of north- 
ern geography, Captain Ross returned to England, 



104 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER VII. 



Of the Uskees, or Aboriginal Inhabitants of Greenland. — Their physical 
Characteristics. — Dress. — Their Relations with other Tribes. — Progress 
in Religion and Civilization. — Intercourse with Europeans. — Knowledge in 
Trade. — Form of Society. 

In person, the Uskees are diminutive, but stoutly 
made. They are seldom above four feet four inch- 
es, except in the settled parts of Greenland, where 
the national figure is changed by intermarriage with 
the Danes. The native Uskees do not cordially 
associate with this mixed race, which they consider 
as degenerate. In complexion, they are generally 
of an olive brown. Their forehead and the sides of 
the head, above the temples, are greatly depressed ; 
the crown is elevated considerably, and the back 
of the head is depressed, as well as the forehead. 
The smaller end of a hen's egg presents a familiar 
resemblance to their cranium. The eye is usual- 
ly small, but piercing, not brilliant ; and the calm, 
mild manner with which they contemplate a stran- 
ger, gives a good idea of the power of the eye. 
Their vision is astonishingly strong, by means of 
which they can distinguish objects at an incredible 
distance. The snow glare affects their eyes very 
much, which are often observed to be inflamed. 
Against this inconvenience, they have many inge- 
nious contrivances, in the manner of eye-shades, 
which are usually a piece of wood made to fix 
across the eyes, having two fine slits, and a pin- 
hole in the centre of each to correspond to the 



POLAR REGIONS. 105 

centre of vision. Their cheek bones are high, 
which, with their rounded flabby cheeks, renders 
the nose by no means a prominent feature. Their 
lips and mouth are generally large ; the former 
very much protruded. The lower part of their 
face altogether forms a striking contrast to their 
narrow forehead, and is a chief distinguishing fea- 
ture of this people. The women differ little from 
the men, except that they are not so tall. Their 
hands are remarkably fine, small, and neat. The 
same remark applies to their feet. 

The dress of both sexes is nearly alike ; the 
women being distinguished only by their jacket ter- 
minating in a triangular piece, before and behind, 
reaching to the knees. Nothing about the person 
of the Uskees is more remarkable than their hair. 
It hangs from their heads, long, black, coarse and 
lank, exactly like the hairy parts of whalebone. 
The women tie it in a bunch upon the top of the 
head, which takes away much of the unsightliness 
of such an object. 

In the course of their wanderings, coming in 
contact with other tribes, who, from causes not 
necessary to form a part of this inquiry, had already 
spread over other parts of the American continent, 
and being of peaceful and very unwarlike habits, 
they were unfit to associate with their new neigh- 
bours. The consequence was, that the red Indians, 
as they are termed, who lived entirely by the chase, 
usually attributed to their timid neighbours every 
unfavorable change of weather that interfered with 
their hunting. Hence arose wars, which to the 



106 POLAR REGIONS. 

present day are continued with undiminished asper- 
ity. The appearance too of the Uskee, clad in his 
skins, his head wrapped in a hood, and his whole 
figure lowly, and. little expressive of warlike charac- 
ter, was remarkably contrasted with the tall, grace- 
ful figure of the red man, accustomed to warfare, 
and impatient of intrusion. 

The Uskees, in self-defence, must have learned 
also how to fight, and doubtless retaliated with de- 
vastating effect, having always a sure retreat in their 
boats. This disposition the earlier settlers from 
Norway discovered to their cost, when they pro- 
voked them to vengeance in Greenland, and were 
in consequence extirpated. 

The Danes, in re-establishing their claims to the 
possession of Greenland, have done very little to- 
wards ameliorating the condition of the natives. 
The natural disposition, however, of the Uskees, 
gypsy-like, makes them appear to conform to the 
manners and religion of their masters ; yet little 
less doubt of their insincerity exists. It must be ac- 
knowledged that the conduct of many of the Danes 
sent thither, as it is said, for their crimes, is not well 
calculated to reconcile them to European senti- 
ments. They are, if spoiled by such corrupt exam- 
ple, looked upon as untractable ; and a sensible 
writer, descanting on their unwillingness to become 
converted, represents them as listening very atten- 
tively to christian exhortation ; and when asked if 
they understood all that had been said to them, 
their answer was childishly affirmative, when it was 
evident they did not comprehend or retain a tittle of 



POLAR REGIONS. 107 

the subject. They are such adepts in disguising or 
suppressing their passions, that one might take them 
for Stoics. They never interrupt any person while 
speaking ; and their reply is sensible and brief, and 
marked with the most respectful deference to the 
person they address, provided he commands their 
good opinion. 

The Danish convicts and settlers have intermar- 
ried with the Uskee women, and a mixed genera- 
tion is now remarkably predominant where the 
government has been fixed. Some of the children 
of the Europeans by the Uskee women are quite 
fair, but all have that remarkable attachment to 
their country which the genuine natives evince. 

In their intercourse with strangers, they are at 
first shy and cautious, but firm in their manners.. 
That reserve soon disappears when they are kind- 
ly treated, and they freely communicate their know- 
ledge of any thing asked them. Their experience 
extending but little beyond the arts befitting the ne- 
cessary occupations of their own peculiar mode of 
life, makes their information of inconsiderable value 
when applied to the greater concerns of European 
commerce. They appear sensible of their deficien- 
cy in this respect, and when they reply to the in- 
quiries of the whale hunters, it is always frankly, but 
diffidently. Any effort to extend their experience 
beyond the contracted circle of their wants, is at- 
tended with such a train of imaginary difficulties, 
that few, if any of them have ever ventured out of 
the footsteps of their forefathers. The Uskee jacket, 
trowsers, boots, darts and canoe (for they use this 



108 POLAR REGIONS. 

name for a boat indiscriminately with kaiak) are 
identically the same as they were observed more 
than eight hundred years ago. 

There is not, probably, a nation upon earth more 
remarkable for urbanity, than the inhabitants of 
Greenland. Few common minds, on witnessing the 
splendor of a London assembly, its luxuries, elegance 
and grandeur, and, were it possible, turning the 
eye the next instant on the little patriarchal circle 
in an Uskee hut, would relish the comparison ; yet 
to any one accustomed to reflect, and to appreciate 
the happiness of mankind comparatively, on the 
scale of necessary wants and wishes, the lot of the 
apparently wretched Greenlander is far from being 
miserable. In truth, had European luxury and its 
allurements been withheld, he would have still re- 
mained in aboriginal simplicity and happiness ; and, 
if any thought now arises to disturb his constitu- 
tional tranquillity of mind, it proceeds from a re- 
flection that he wants something from the great 
oomiak ; (it is by this term the Uskee expresses a 
ship ;) and he will readily barter the last article of 
dress, necessary to the comfort of his person, in 
order to obtain a bit of lead, or some powder for 
his gun, or a rag of handkerchief for his cwia. 

The articles generally trafficked with them are 
such as the sailors find no longer useful to their 
own accommodation, or some coarse article of 
dress, of no value when compared with what they 
get in exchange. In later years, the arts of the 
European have taught them a little more cunning, 
and some are as expert now at making a bargain as 



POLAR REGIONS. 109 

any of their visiters. Strictly honest in all their 
dealings, they are exceedingly watchful that they 
be not cheated ; and he must indeed* m worse than 
savage who would wrong people of such exem- 
plary integrity as theirs, The hardships and perils 
through which they must, toil in order to procure 
material articles for barter, should also induce a 
humane consideration of their condition, and pro- 
tect them from injustice. Some serious grounds, 
therefore, of dislike towards the Danish sovereignty 
must exist, before these people, strongly guided by 
a sense of right, and wrong, could be brought to ex- 
press an abhorrence of their master's principles ; 
and this must be either by the Danes exacting from 
their industry a demand in the shape of tax for the 
protection afforded them, or for the support of the 
missionaries, or else by trucking with them on terms 
obviously disadvantageous to the natives. On ei- 
ther point, the Uskee feels his superiority in princi- 
ple over his master, and is not to be reconciled to 
his views. 

The original form of society still exists among 
the Uskees in all its simplicity. Though a nation 
as distinctly defined as any other in the world, yet 
they are such only in identity of character. Their 
institutions are truly patriarchal, without the danger 
of dissolution from the extravagant acquisition of 
property. While in the early government of pa- 
triarchal form, the gradual accession of landed pro- 
perty and flocks of cattle and servants,' led to the 
despotism of some wealthier lord ; and many, shar- 
10 



110 POLAR REGIONS. 

ing such abundance in common, desired a chief 
who should maintain equal justice, — these petty gov- 
ernments be^me gradually absorbed into larger 
ones, and empires have been formed, and revolu- 
tions have given rise to ruinous and wasting wars. 
In the absence of such mutations, the simple Uskee, 
content in his kaiak, plies his paddle in unmolested 
waters, kills his seals and wild birds, or transfixes his 
nimble game, and in the bosom of his small rejoicing 
family enjoys his good fortune, and trains his son to 
imitate the prowess and skill of his sire. Living in a 
manner that requires little from the neighbouring 
soil, he farms not, he tills not, nor concerns himself 
in the slightest degree about the right of property 
in the territory in which he resides : he is conse- 
quently free from the broils which such species of 
property is likely to create. Give him his fishing 
waters, and leave him undisturbed, 'he takes no 
thought for the morrow ! ' 

The father of a family is to all intents, absolute 
chief; but still his authority is exercised with the 
mildest sway. To chide for a fault is considered 
the severest punishment. Blows are never resort- 
ed to. It is considered a savage and barbarous act 
to strike an Uskee, and is looked on with abhor- 
rence. The women are treated kindly, but are re- 
garded as servants, doing all the labors of the 
house, except such parts as the men think their 
superior understanding only can be equal to. Do- 
mestic harmony is seldom known to be disturbed, 
unless when, in the absence of the men, some dowager 



POLAR REGIONS. Ill 

mother exercises her peevishness upon her daugh- 
ter-in-law, especially if the latter have not the good 
fortune to have been the mother of a son ; for on 
the birth of male children they think the existence 
of their nation rests. 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Occupations of the Uskees. — Use made of the "Whale. — Manner of spending 
the Winter. — Manner of spending the Summer. — Manner of catching 
Seals. — Enjoyments of the Uskees. — Language. 

It would be strange indeed, if the Uskees were not 
a contented people, so few are their wants. The 
men are the carpenters, the women are the tailors, 
shoemakers, house-masons, and cooks, the last more 
particularly, as the men, on returning with game, 
are no sooner disengaged from their kaiaks than all 
concern on their part ceases. This arises very 
probably from the excessive fatigue to which they 
are exposed, rather than to any indifference towards 
their women. The women's labor then commen- 
ces. They have to haul the seals ashore, and con- 
vey to the tent or hut the different animals taken. 
Their first concern is to draw a little blood from 
the seal, (which, after being killed, is stanched 
for that purpose) and present it to the men, by way 
of cordial after their fatigue. Then, having pro- 
vided the men with dry clothes, they proceed to 



112 POLAR REGIONS. 

flay and cut up the spoil. Seal's flesh forms their 
chief support ; and they employ various modes of 
preserving it for future use. The most common is 
to cut it into thin slips, and so dry it over a line in 
the interior of their hut. The blubber is most care- 
fully preserved, as being convertible to almost every 
domestic comfort, more precious by far to them, 
than wine is to others. Oil is the luxury of their 
meals, their bread being nothing more than the 
dried muscular part of the seals or of birds. 

Such a representation of life would form little in- 
ducement to an European to exchange his comforts 
for it. The picture is to refined appetites truly dis- 
gusting ; and the horrible smell of their huts, per- 
sons, and almost every article belonging to them 
is intolerable to the coarsest. Even the sailor, 
accustomed to the atmosphere of a whale-ship, 
has been frequently known to nauseate the inside 
of a Greenlancler's hut. These poor creatures 
smile at such squeamishness, and kindly excuse 
the want of politeness in the stranger, as he could 
not possibly know any thing better. 

The whale, wounded, and carrying in his huge 
body the instrument of destruction, very often 
in his anguish runs himself ashore, or into some 
creek among the rocks, and there lingering dies. 
Such a chance is an unexpected blessing, if discov- 
ered ; and any person who has ever winded a dead 
whale must know that an occurrence of that kind 
is not likely to remain long a secret. Every hut is 
then emptied to take advantage of the fortunate 



POLAR REGIONS. 113 

occasion. If any one is within reach of the good 
tidings, he is immediately invited, and it is easy to 
imagine what a scene ensues. Men, women, and 
children, with every edged instrument at command, 
are in full employment. But in such eagerness, 
wounds are often inflicted by accident, and such 
are never resented. The blubber is carefully stor- 
ed, that it may subside into oil ; the muscular parts 
are removed for future provision, and nothing can 
be of coarser texture, yet still they relish it, and are 
thankful for the blessing. The tendons are also 
carefully preserved, to. be appropriated as cordage, 
thread, lines, and for various other purposes ; and 
in the whalebone they have sufficient for their own 
private necessities, and for the demands of the 
Danes. 

In winter time they retire further from the sea 
than they have been in the summer months, and 
in their huts or winter houses generally spend 
the interval between the latter end of October and 
the middle of March in preparing their fishing 
tackle, while the women are busily engaged in re- 
pairing the kaiak, or sewing dresses for the men. 
On such occasions the children have an opportu- 
nity of learning the arts peculiar to their sex, and 
scarcely any other time is given for their educa- 
tion. 

As soon as the returning sun announces the ap- 
proach of summer, all is bustle and activity. The 
materials for the summer huts are got in readiness, 
and the whole ' household, consisting sometimes of 



114 POLAR REGIONS. 

five or six families, moves downwards to the fishing 
place, which is generally a low island with a sloping 
beach looking towards the south, for the ease and 
convenience of launching the boats or drawing the 
seals ashore. They are not confined to any par- 
ticular spot for the summer. Unless abundance of 
seals be seen, they generally shift to some other 
station, which in the course of former seasons they 
have observed as more fit, or as they may have in- 
formation from others of their countrymen. 

The Greenlander is very vain of his accomplish- 
ments ; and viewing them, as he does, as the per- 
fection of human art, he pities the ignorance of 
any one who is unable to manage a kaiak, or use 
the hand-board in discharging the spear or lighter 
dart. It is dangerous for an European to venture 
into one of these canoes, as he is almost certain of 
being instantly upset ; in which case the buoyancy 
of the little bark would certainly keep him immers- 
ed, and drown him. 

The seal, mischievous in the extreme towards 
every creature weaker than himself, entertains a 
sovereign dread of the Uskees, and flies from every 
quarter where he discovers a kaiak ; but his precau- 
tion seldom avails. The instant a seal is seen by 
a Greenlander, he whispers ' Pussee ! ' (seal) along 
the surface of the water to the nearest of his com- 
panions, who telegraphs the signal until all the boats 
are engaged in the chase, and it is seldom possi- 
ble for their prey to escape. The seal is impetu- 
ous in disposition, and, having once observed his 



POLAR REGIONS. 115 

pursuers, he dives repeatedly, and in different di- 
rections, to confound them ; but becomes at length 
so short-breathed by his hurry, that he cannot re- 
main long out of sight; and as the Uskees are 
around at various points watching the favorable 
moment, one of them paddles silently in his rear, 
using the paddle with one hand, while with the 
other he is getting his tackle in order ; and having 
advanced near enough, for he is sure to measure 
the distance with accuracy, he flings the dart, and 
never fails to strike. The seal, terrified and wound- 
ed, dives in the greatest terror ; but a float being 
attached to the dart by a leathern line, he is soon 
forced up again, and despatched. They are then 
careful to stanch the wounds, to save as much 
as possible, and to distend the body, by blowing 
into the cellular part, as butchers sometimes are 
used to do, in order to make the body of the ani- 
mal buoyant ; otherwise it would go to the bottom 
as soon as dead. 

Seal hunting, being their most profitable as well 
as most dangerous pursuit, is looked upon as the 
perfection of manly achievement. It is the sum 
of praise to which every man aspires ; and it is 
chiefly through the fame of having killed such a 
number of seals that any can aim at preeminence. 
The unmarried women listen with eagerness when 
such great exploits are recounted ; and a descrip- 
tion of a seal hunt given, with proper emphasis and 
gesture, by the fortunate hunter, is sure to obtain 
general approbation. The applause which they 



116 POLAR REGIONS. 

bestow is not however clamorous, but tinctured 
with that decency and reserve for which they are 
remarkable. It is on such occasions that love- 
matches are usually set on foot ; and the successful 
candidate for the lady's hand must rely on the 
credit he has obtained by the number of seals he 
has taken. 

There is very great danger to the Greenlander 
in the seal hunt. Should the seal be little exhaust- 
ed in the chase, he often turns on his adversary, 
seizes on his kaiak, and with his sharp teeth pierces 
the flimsy cover, when no alternative remains to 
the poor Uskee but death, as his kaiak will sink, 
and take him down. This must be certain ; as the 
others can offer no assistance, except to allow him 
to hold by the end of another boat, to the great 
risk of him who navigates it. Except in the case 
of father and son, such accommodation is very rare, 
as every man on such emergency naturally thinks 
of the value of his life to his own family. Much 
danger is also to be apprehended if the line get 
foul of the paddle, or arm, or even neck of the 
hunter, when the seal dives so suddenly on being 
wounded. It is then that the Uskee displays his, 
skill and expertness. If upset, he raises himself 
again in his kaiak, by a dexterous management of 
his paddle. 

When assembled at a merry-making or at a mar- 
riage-feast, they are cheerful and joyous in the 
highest degree ; but none of that boisterous rejoic- 
ing, which is considered the test of enjoyment in 



POLAR REGIONS. 117 

other places, is here known. The dance is practis- 
ed in lively and tolerably well executed movements ; 
and some of the Danes having introduced the fiddle 
among them, they contrive to make out a pleasing 
entertainment. The men talk over their exploits 
in seal hunting, and the boys are always attentive and 
silent hearers. Sometimes the song is raised, when 
one who leads the chorus repeats a line, and this is 
immediately succeeded by all the rest joining in a 
short accompaniment of no particular meaning. 

They are extremely hospitable, particularly to 
any of their own nation who happen to pass near 
their abode, in removing from one place to another 
in quest of seals. A brotherly invitation is instant- 
ly given, and the utmost attention is paid to the 
stranger, who freely imparts his experience of the 
season, and receives in return such information as 
he requires. It is this interchange of good offices 
which makes them set so high a value on each 
other. 

The language of the Greenlanders or Uskees is 
very general. Like the Norwegians, they pro- 
nounce the letter R in their throat, so that it is not 
easy to distinguish many of their tones. They pro- 
nounce their words with great fluency ; and their 
accents seem to be numerous, by the peculiar stress 
with which they deliver certain sounds. There 
are many consonants which they never use at the 
beginning of words, as they prefer commencing 
generally with a vowel. Even such words of other 
languages as they are desired to repeat, they dress 



118 POLAR REGIONS. 

in their own sounds ; and if it begin with any of 
the proscribed letters, such is usually omitted, as 
was observed in the term Skraelling, which they 
converted into Karalit. They have no writing; 
though some of the children of the Danish convicts 
have been taught to write. The Uskees think it so 
much time thrown away from the more important 
concern of learning the management of the kaiak 
and dart. They usually reckon on their fingers, and 
seldom go beyond ten in counting ; though others 
say they have been known to reckon as high as 
twenty. Their conveniences of life being so few, 
makes further numbering unnecessary. 



CAPTAIN PARRY'S 
FIRST VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 



CHAPTER I. 

Object of Parry's First Voyage. — Equipment of the Expedition. — Passage up 
Davis' Straits. — Embarrassment in the Ice. 

As that part of Greenland or America, lying imme- 
diately west and northwest of Baffin's Bay, is only 
known by the late discoveries of Captain Parry, a 
continuous account of his voyages will, probably, 
be the best method of describing it that we can 
adopt. 

Lieutenant Parry* was appointed to the com- 
mand of his Majesty's ship Hecla, a bomb of 375 
tons, on the 16th of January, 1819; and the Gri- 
per, gun brig, 180 tons, commissioned by Lieut. 
Matthew Liddon, was at the same time directed to 
put herself under his orders. The object of the 
expedition was to attempt the discovery of a North- 
West Passage into the Pacific. On board Capt. 
Parry's ship was an astronomer, Capt. Edw. Sa- 

* Then a Lieutenant ; for convenience we shall call him Captain. 



120 POLAR REGIONS. 

bine, R. A. and a competent number of officers, a 
Greenland master, and a Greenland mate. Every 
individual engaged in the expedition was to receive 
double the ordinary pay of his Majesty's navy. 
The vessels were rigged after the manner of a 
barque, as being the most convenient among the ice, 
and requiring the smallest number of men to work 
them. They were furnished with provisions and 
stores for two years ; in addition to which, there 
was a large supply of fresh meats and soups pre- 
served in tin cases, essence of malt and hops, es- 
sence of spruce, and other extra stores, adapted to 
cold climates and a long voyage. The ships were 
ballasted entirely with coals ; an abundance of 
warm clothing was allowed, a wolf-skin blanket be- 
ing supplied to each officer and man, besides a 
housing- cloth, similar to that with which wagons 
are usually covered, to make a sort of tent on 
board. Various kinds of presents were furnished 
to secure the friendship of the natives, and a num- 
ber of valuable, astronomical and philosophical in- 
struments were put on board each ship. 

Capt. Parry had served in the former expedition 
under Capt. Ross, and was advantageously known 
to the Board of Admiralty for his skill in his pro- 
fession and his peculiar qualifications for such ser- 
vice. He was to pass, if possible, through Lancas- 
ter's Sound to Behring's Strait. In case of success, 
he was to proceed to Kamtschatka, and thence 
to forward an official account of his voyage to Eng- 
land, through Siberia. Thence the Hecla and Gri- 
per were to return to England round Cape Horn, 



POLAR REGIONS. 121 

Other specific instructions were given, but much 
was left to his discretion. He was expected to co- 
operate with Captain Franklin, who was at the 
same time sent to the mouth of Coppermine River, 
in effecting the purpose of his voyage. 

Captain Parry sailed from England in the begin- 
ning of May, and on the fifteenth of June he came 
in sight of Cape Farewell. He proceeded up the 
Strait of Davis, and for three days found the ice 
close packed. Passing through ice fields and among 
icebergs, he approached the western shore. On 
the twentyfifth, the ice closed round the ships and 
arrested their progress. As far as the eye might 
reach from the mast-head, nothing could be seen to 
the westward but one unbroken mass of ice. 

It is usual for whales to descend head foremost, 
displaying their enormous tails in the air ; but here 
the ice was too close to permit the first one seen 
on the voyage to perform this feat, and he went 
down tail first, to the great amusement of the Green- 
land sailors. 

As long as the wind continued to blow strong 
towards the ice, so as to keep it close, the ships lay 
securely sheltered from the sea ; but at nine in the 
evening, when it veered a little to the westward, 
the ice became more slack, and they began to feel 
the effects of the swell which was thus admitted 
from without : each roll of the sea forced the heavy 
masses of ice against the rudder and counter with 
such violence as would have greatly endangered a 
ship built in the ordinary way : strengthened as 
these were, however, they escaped without damage* 
11 



122 POLAR REGIONS. 

Frequent endeavours were made to heave the 
heads of the ships round, in order that they might 
receive the heaviest pressure on their bows, but 
every attempt proved unsuccessful, and they re- 
mained in the same unpleasant situation during the 
whole of the 28th. 

While in this state, a large white bear came near 
the Griper, and was killed by her people, but he 
sunk between the pieces of ice. This animal had, 
probably, been attracted by the smell of some red 
herrings which the men were frying at the time. 
It is a common practice with the Greenland sailors 
to take advantage of the strong sense of smelling 
which these creatures possess, by enticing them 
near the ships in this manner. 

The swell had somewhat subsided on the 29th, 
but the ships remained firmly fixed in the ice as be- 
fore. In the course of the day they saw land bear- 
ing N. 69° W. about thirteen leagues distant, ap- 
pearing from the mast-head like a group of islands, 
and situated near to the entrance of Cumberland 
Strait ; the soundings were one hundred and thirty- 
five fathoms ; the temperature of the sea at that 
depth 30° ; that of the surface being the same ; and 
of the air 34°. On the 30th, the ice began to slack- 
en a little more about the ships; and, after two 
hours' heaving with a hawser brought on each bow 
to the capstan and windlass, they succeeded in 
moving the Hecla about her own length to the east- 
ward, where alone any clear sea was visible. The 
ice continuing to open still more in the course of 
the day, they were at length enabled to get both 



POLAR REGIONS. 123 

ships into open water, after eight hours' incessant 
labor. 

Their first attempt to approach the western 
coast having thus failed, Capt. Parry consulted the 
Greenland Masters, as to what were the most like- 
ly means to be adopted for effecting this object. 
Mr Allison thought it would be advisable to run 
a degree or two back again to the southward ; while 
Mr Fife was of opinion, that it might be attempted, 
with a better chance of success, about the latitude 
of Mount Raleigh, which forms one side of the nar- 
rowest part of Davis' Strait. Capt. Parry determin- 
ed on the latter. 

They kept close to the edge of the pack on the 
1st and 2nd of July, without finding any opening in 
it. On the third they crossed the Arctic circle. 

Towards midnight, the wind having shifted to 
the southwest, and moderated, another extensive 
chain of very large icebergs appeared to the north- 
ward: as they approached them, the wind died 
away, and the ships' heads were kept to the north- 
warji, only by the steerage way given to them by a 
heavy southerly swell, which, dashing the loose ice 
with tremendous force against the bergs, some- 
times raised a white spray over the latter to the 
height of more than a hundred feet, and being 
accompanied with a loud noise, exactly resembling 
the roar of distant thunder, presented a scene at 
once sublime and terrific. They could find no 
bottom near these icebergs with one hundred and 
ten fathoms of line. 

At four, A. M. on the 4th, they came to a quanti- 



124 POLAR REGIONS. 

ty of loose ice, which lay straggling among the 
bergs ; and as there was a light breeze from the 
southward, and they were anxious to avoid, if pos- 
sible, the necessity of going to the eastward, they 
pushed the Hecla into the ice, in the hope of being 
able to make way through it. They had scarcely 
done so, however, before it fell calm ; when the 
ship became perfectly unmanageable, and was for 
some time at the mercy of the swell, which drifted 
her fast towards the bergs. All the boats were 
immediately sent a-head to tow ; and the Griper's 
signal was made, not to enter the ice. After two 
hours hard pulling, they succeeded in getting the 
Hecla back again into clear water, and to a suffi- 
cient distance from the icebergs, which it is very 
dangerous to approach when there is a swell. At 
noon they were in lat 66° 50' 47", long. 57° 07' 56", 
being near the middle of the narrowest part of 
Davis' Strait, which is here not more than fifty 
leagues across. 

On the 5th, it was necessary to pass through 
some heavy streams of ice, in order to avoid the 
loss of time by going round to the eastward. On 
this, as on many other occasions, the advantage 
possessed by a ship of considerable weight in the 
water, in separating the heavy masses of ice, was 
very apparent. In some of the streams, through 
which the Hecla passed, a vessel of a hundred tons 
less burthen must have been immoveably beset 
The Griper was on this, and many other occasions, 
only enabled to follow the Hecla by taking advan- 
tage of the openings made by the latter. 



POLAR REGIONS. 125 

A herd of walrusses being seen lying on a piece 
of ice, a boat succeeded in killing one of them. 
These animals usually lie huddled together, like 
pigs, one over the other, and are so stupidly tame, 
as to allow a boat to approach them, within a few 
yards, without moving, When, at length, they are 
disturbed, they dash into the water in great con- 
fusion. It may be worth remarking, as a proof 
how tenacious the walrus sometimes is of life, that 
the animal killed struggled violently for ten minutes 
after it was struck, and towed the boat twenty or 
thirty yards, after which the iron of the harpoon 
broke ; and yet it was found, on examination, that 
the iron barb had penetrated both auricles of the 
heart. A quantity of the blubber was put into 
casks, as a winter's supply of lamp-oil. 

The ice was so compact that it was impossible 
to penetrate to the westward, and nothing remained 
to be done, but to make the best way they could, by 
beating to the northward along the edge of the 
pack, until on the 10th a thick fog came on, which 
made great caution necessary in sailing, there being 
a great many icebergs near. There is, however, 
even in the thickest fog, a strong reflection of light 
from these immense bodies of ice, which, with an 
attentive look-out, is generally visible at a sufficient 
distance to enable the navigator, if in smooth water, 
to avoid coming in contact with them. 

A large bear being seen on a piece of ice, near 

which they were passing, a boat was despatched in 

pursuit, and the people succeeded in killing and 

towing it on board. As these animals sink imme- 

11* 



126 POLAR REGIONS. 

diately on being mortally wounded, some dexterity 
is requisite to secure them, by first throwing a rope 
over the neck, at which many of the Greenland 
seamen are remarkably expert. It is customary 
for the boats of the whalers to have two or three 
lines coiled in them, which not only gives them 
great stability, but, with good management, makes 
it difficult for a bear, when swimming, to put his 
paw upon the gunwale, which they generally en- 
deavor to do. A boarding-pike is the most useful 
weapon for this purpose. The lance used by the 
whalers will not easily penetrate the skin, and a 
musket ball, except when very close, is scarcely 
more efficacious. 

The facility with which a vessel may sail through 
Davis' Strait seems to depend much upon the sea- 
son at which the attempt is made. For the first 
fortnight in June, it is seldom practicable to get be- 
yond latitude 70°. Towards the end of the month 
ships may usually penetrate to the seventyfourth 
degree. From that time to the end of August the 
obstruction decreases daily, and it is probable that a 
vessel entering the strait on the first of July may 
reach a high latitude without any detention. 

After being again beset, and finding a variety of 
difficulties from the tenacity of the ice, on the 
21st Capt. Parry reached latitude 73°. Unwilling to 
increase the distance from Lancaster's Sound by 
proceeding farther north, he determined to enter the 
ice here. Accordingly he ran in among the floes, 
heaving the ships through with hawsers, and taking 
every advantage of the wind, which was light. On 



POLAR REGIONS. 127 

the evening of the 22d the ships were totally beset, 
and no open water could be seen from the mast 
head. On the 23d a thick fog came on, and they 
made fast to an iceberg. 

The weather being clear in the morning of the 
25th, and a few narrow lanes of water appearing to 
the westward, the Griper was made fast astern of 
the Hecla ; and her crew being sent to assist in 
manning the Hecla's capstan, they proceeded to 
warp the ships through the ice. This method, 
which is often adopted by whalers, has the ob- 
vious advantage of applying the whole united force 
in separating the masses of ice which lie in the way 
of the first ship, allowing the second, or even the 
third, to follow close astern, with very little ob- 
struction. In this manner they advanced about 
four miles to the westward, by eight, P. M., after 
eleven hours of very laborious exertion ; and having 
then come to the end of the clear w T ater, and the 
weather being again foggy;, the ships were secured 
in a deep ' bight,' or bay in a floe, called by the 
sailors ' natural dock.' 

Early on the morning of the 26th, there was 
clear water as far as they could see to the westward, 
which, on account of the fog, did not exceed the 
distance of three hundred yards. They made sail, 
however, and having groped their way for about half 
a mile, found the ice once more close in every di- 
rection, except that in which they had been sailing, 
obliging them to make the ship fast to a floe. A 
boat was sent to endeavour .to find a lane of clear 
water leading to the westward. She returned on 



128 POLAR REGIONS. 

board in an hour, without success, having with diffi- 
culty found her way to the ship, by the muskets, 
and other signals. 

At half-past three, P. M., the weather cleared 
up, and a few narrow lanes of water being seen to 
the westward, every exertion was immediately made 
to get into them. On beginning to heave, however, 
they found that the * hole' of water in which the 
Kecla lay, was now so completely enclosed by ice, 
that no passage out of it could be found. They 
tried every corner, but to no purpose ; all the pow- 
er they could apply being insufficient to move the 
heavy masses of ice which had fixed themselves 
firmly between them and the lanes of water with- 
out. In the mean time, Lieutenant Liddon had 
succeeded in advancing about three hundred yards, 
and had placed the Griper's bow between two 
heavy floes, which it was necessary to separate be- 
fore any further progress could be made. Both 
ships continued to heave at their hawsers occasion- 
ally, as the ice appeared to slacken a little, by 
which means they were now and then drawn ahead 
a few inches at a time, but did not advance more 
than half a dozen yards in the course of the night. 
By Hearing several bergs to the northward, the ice 
appeared to be drifting in that direction, the wind 
being moderate from the southward, 



POLAR REGIONS. 129 



CHAPTER II. 

Farther Detention in the Ice. — Whales. — Arrival at Lancaster's Sound.— 
Land about Possession Bay. — New Lands discovered. — The Vessels are 
again stopped by the Ice. 

About three, A. M., Tuesday, 27th, by a sudden 
motion of the ice, they succeeded in getting the 
Hecla out of her confined situation, and ran her up 
astern of the Griper. The clear water had made 
so much to the westward, that a narrow neck of 
ice was all that was now interposed between the 
ships and a large open space in that quarter. Both 
ships' companies were, therefore, ordered upon the 
ice to saw off the neck, when the floes suddenly 
opened, sufficiently to allow the Griper to push 
through, under all sail. No time was lost in the at- 
tempt to get the Hecla through after her ; but, by 
one of those accidents to which this navigation is 
liable, and which renders it so precarious and un- 
certain, a piece of loose ice, which lay between the 
two ships, was drawn after the Griper by the eddy 
produced by her motion, and completely blocked 
the narrow passage through which the Hecla was 
about to follow. Before they could remove this 
obstruction by hauling it back out of the channel, the 
floes were again pressed together, wedging it firm- 
ly and immoveably betwixt them ; the saws were 
immediately set to work, and used with great effect, 
but it was not till eleven o'clock that they succeed- 



130 POLAR REGIONS. 

ed, after seven hours' labor, in getting the Hecla 
into the lanes of clear water which opened more 
and more to the westward. The latitude by ac- 
count at noon, was 73° 05' 56", the longitude 60° 
22' 27". 

On the 29th they had so much clear water, that 
the ships had a very perceptible pitching motion, 
which, from the closeness of the ice, does not very 
often occur in the polar regions, and which is 
therefore hailed with pleasure, as an indication of an 
open sea. At five, P. M. the swell increased con- 
siderably, and as the wind freshened up from the 
northeast, the ice gradually disappeared ; so that 
by six o'clock they were sailing in an open sea, 
perfectly free from obstruction of any kind. 

They now seemed all at once to have got into 
the head-quarters of the whales. They were so 
numerous that no less than eightytwo are mention- 
ed in this day's log. Mr Allison, the Greenland 
master, considered them generally as large ones, 
and remarked, that a fleet of whalers might easily 
have obtained a cargo here in a few days. It is a 
common idea among Greenland fishermen, that the 
presence of ice is necessary to ensure the finding of 
whales ; but there was no ice in sight this day, 
when they were most numerous. In the afternoon 
the wind broke the Hecla off from the N. N. W. 
which obliged her to cast off the Griper, and she car- 
ried all sail ahead to make the land. It was seen at 
half past five, P. M., being the high land about Posses- 
sion Bay, and at the same time several streams of 
loose but heavy ice came in sight, which a fresh 



POLAR REGIONS. 131 

breeze was drifting fast to the southeastward. Lan- 
caster's Sound was now open to the westward, and 
the experience of a former voyage had given Capt. 
Parrj" reason to believe that the two best months in 
the year for the navigation of these seas were yet 
to come. This consideration, together with the 
magnificent view of the lofty Byam Martin Moun- 
tains, which forcibly recalled to his mind the events 
of the preceding year, animated him with expecta- 
tion and hope. If any proof were wanting of the 
value of local knowledge in the navigation of the 
Polar Seas, it would be amply furnished by the 
fact of his having now reached the entrance of Sir 
James Lancaster's Sound just one month earlier 
than he had done in 1818, although he had then 
sailed above a fortnight sooner, with the same gen- 
eral object in view, namely, to penetrate to the 
western coast of Baffin's Bay, where alone the 
Northwest Passage was to be sought for. 

On the 31st, they anchored in Possession Bay, 
and discovered a flag-staff which had been erected 
on the former expedition. 

The land immediately at the back of Possession 
Bay rises in a gentle slope from the sea, presenting 
an open and extensive space of low ground, flanked 
by hills to the north and south. In this valley, and 
even on the hills, to the height of six or seven hun- 
dred feet above the sea, there was scarcely any 
snow, but the mountains at the back were complete- 
ly covered with it. The bed of the stream, which 
winds along the valley, is in many places several 
hundred yards wide, and in some parts from thirty 



132 POLAR REGIONS. 

to forty feet deep ; but the quantity of water which 
it contained at this season was extremely small in 
proportion to the width between the banks, not ex- 
ceeding forty feet on an average, and from one to 
three feet only in depth near the mouth of the 
stream. This feature is common to every part of 
the polar regions ; the beds, or ravines, being prob- 
ably formed by the annual dissolution of the snow 
during a long series of years. Traces of Esquimaux 
were found on the river, as well as the foot-prints 
left by the former expedition. 

The only animals met with were a fox, a raven, 
some ring-plovers, snow-buntings, and a wild bee. 
Several tracks of bears and of a cloven-footed ani- 
mal, probably the reindeer, were also observed 
upon the moist ground. Three black whales were 
seen in the bay, and the crown-bones of several 
others were lying near the beach. Considerable 
tufts of moss and of grass occur in this valley, prin- 
cipally in those parts which are calculated to retain 
the water produced by the melting of the snow. 
Indeed, moisture alone seems necessary to the 
growth of a variety of plants which are found in 
this dreary climate. Mr Fisher, who had an op- 
portunity of examining some of the fixed rocks, 
pronounced them to consist principally of basalt. 

The tide here rose about eight feet, and the 
flood seemed to come from the northwest. 

On the first of August, it having been found that 
the Griper could not keep up with the Hecla, Cap- 
tain Parry determined to leave her. He appointed 
the middle of Lancaster's Sound as a place of ren- 



POLAR REGIONS. 133 

dezvous, and then crowded all sail on the Hecla. 
In the evening he came in sight of the northern 
shore of the sound, and the next day had a clear 
view of both sides of it. On the southern side 
were high, peaked mountains, covered with snow, 
excepting at the base, but on the northern, the land 
was not so rugged, or so high, and there was much 
less snow. The sea was open before them. 

Running up the sound as far as Cape Castle- 
reagh, more distant land was seen to the westward; 
and between this land and Cape Castlereagh was 
an inlet, to which Capt. Parry gave the name of 
Navy Board Inlet. Points of land were seen all 
round this inlet, and the belief is, that it is not con- 
tinuous. In the meanwhile the land opened on 
the northern shore, consisting of high mountains, 
and in some parts of table land. Several head- 
lands were distinctly visible, and names were given 
to them. One inlet, through which Capt. Parry 
was of opinion that a passage might be found into 
the Polar Sea, received the appellation of Croker's 
Bay. 

Having run due west nearly out of sight of the 
Griper, the Hecla hove to for her to come up, in 
longitude 83° 12' west from Greenwich where the 
two shores of the sound were yet twentynine miles 
apart, and without the slightest appearance of land 
to the westward. The only ice met consisted of a 
few large bergs, very much" worn by the washing 
of the sea. Whales were seen, and the wind so 
increased that the top gallant yards were taken in. 

On the fourth, the Griper being within a few 
12 



134 POLAR REGIONS. 

miles of the Hecla, Lieut. Beechy discovered, from 
the crow's nest, breakers to the northward. The 
Hecla was instantly rounded to, for the purpose 
of sounding; but no bottom was found with fifty 
fathoms of line. The Griper coming up shortly 
after, found bottom with fortyfive fathoms. The 
vessels then bore away to the westward. The 
cliffs on this part of the coast had a singular ap- 
pearance, being horizontally stratified, and having 
a number of regular projecting masses of rock, 
broad at the bottom, and pointed at the top, re- 
sembling buttresses raised by art at equal in- 
tervals. 

The sea was here as clear of ice as in any part 
of the Atlantic, and they began to natter them- 
selves that they had indeed entered the Polar Sea, 
and the most sanguine began to calculate the dis- 
tance to Icy Cape, while their conjectures were in 
some degree confirmed by the oceanic color of the 
water, and a long swell rolling in from the south 
and east. Their vexation was, therefore, extreme, 
when toward evening land was seen ahead. It 
proved, however, to be a small island. More land 
was discovered to the westward, and at eight, P. M. 
they came to a stream of ice extending several 
miles in a direction parallel to their course. As 
clear water could be seen over it to the south, 
they hoped it would prove no obstruction. In this 
they were disappointed ; after sailing for two hours 
along the edge of the ice, they perceived that it 
proceeded from a compact and impenetrable body 
of floes which cut off their passage. A considera- 



POLAR REGIONS. 135 

ble surf was rolling on the edge of the pacjt, and 
the ships with some difficulty escaped being em- 
bayed. A second island was discovered south of 
the former, and Capt. Parry gave the name of 
Prince Leopold's Isles to the two. The weather 
was calm and foggy, and while it remained so, 
a number of the officers and men amused them- 
selves in the boats, in endeavouring to kill some 
of the white whales which were swimming about 
the ships in great numbers ; but the animals were 
so wary, that they would scarcely suffer the boats 
to approach them within thirty or forty yards, with- 
out diving. Mr Fisher described them to be gen- 
erally from eighteen to twenty feet in length ; and 
he stated, that he had several times heard them 
emit a shrill, ringing sound, not unlike that of 
musical glasses when badly played. This sound, 
he further observed, was most distinctly heard, 
when they happened to swim directly beneath the 
boat, even when they were several feet under water, 
and ceased altogether on their coming to the sur- 
face. They saw also, for the first time, one or two 
shoals of narwhales, called by the sailors, sea-uni- 
corns. 

A breeze springing up, the ships stood to the 

northward, and it was ascertained, to the dissatis- 
faction of all on board, that the sound or strait 
was closed, excepting in one place to the south- 
ward, and to this opening they directed their course. 
In a few hours it became calm again ; and the Gri- 
per having unfortunately sprung both her topmasts, 
Lieut. Liddon took advantage of the calm weather 



136 POLAR REGIONS. 

to shift them. The Hecla's boats were at the same 
time employed in bringing on board ice, to be used 
as water; a measure to which it is occasionally 
necessary to resort in these regions, when no pools 
or ponds are to be found upon the floes. In this 
case, berg-ice, when at hand, is generally preferred ; 
but that of floes, which is in fact the ice of sea- 
water, is also abundantly used for this purpose : 
the only precaution which is necessary to observe, 
being that of allowing the salt-water to drain off 
before it is dissolved for use. One of the boats 
was upset, by the fall of a mass of ice which the men 
were breaking ; but fortunately no injury was sus- 
tained. 



CHAPTER IIL 

Gape Sa rI u«g3 <3ieoovia!od. — ?Tca.r Approach to the Magnetic Pole. — Unfa- 
vorable Position of the Ice. — Appearance of Prince Regent's Inlet. — Port 
Bo wen. 

A breeze sprung up from the N.N.W. in the eve- 
ning, and the Griper being ready to make sail, they 
stood to the southward. The land, which now be- 
came visible to the southeast, discovered that they 
were entering a large inlet, not less than ten leagues 
wide at its mouth, and in the centre of which no 
land could be distinguished. The western shore of 
the inlet, which extended as far as they could see 
to the S.S.W., was so encumbered with ice, that 
there was no possibility of sailing near it. They, 



POLAR REGIONS. 137 

therefore, ran along the edge of the ice, between 
which and the eastern shore there was a broad and 
open channel, with the intention of seeking, in a 
lower latitude, a clearer passage to the westward 
than that which they had just been obliged to aban- 
don. The head land which forms the western 
point of the entrance into this inlet, they called 
Cape Clarence, and another to the southeast of it, 
was named Cape Seppings. 

Since the time they first entered Lancaster's 
Sound, the sluggishness of the compasses, as well 
as the amount of their irregularity produced by the 
attraction of the ship's iron, had been found very 
rapidly, though uniformly, to increase, as they pro- 
ceeded to the westward ; so much, indeed, that, for 
the last two days, they had been under the neces- 
sity of giving up altogether the usual observations 
for determining the variation of the needle on board 
the ships. This irregularity became more and more 
obvious, as they now advanced to the southward, 
which rendered it not improbable that they were 
now making a very near approach to the magnetic 
pole. For the purposes of navigation, therefore, 
the compasses were from this time no longer con- 
sulted ; and in a few days afterwards, the binnacles 
were removed, as useless lumber, from the deck 
to the carpenter's store-room, where they remained 
during the rest of the season. 

Being desirous of obtaining all the magnetic ob- 
servations they were able, on a spot which appear- 
ed to be replete with interest in this department of 
science, and the outer margin of the ice consisting 
12* 



138 POLAR REGIONS. 

entirely of small loose pieces, which were not suf- 
ficiently steady for using the dipping-needle, they 
hauled up for the nearest part of the eastern shore, 
for the purpose of landing there with the instru- 
ments. They got in with it about noon, having 
very regularly decreased the soundings from forty 
to fifteen and a half fathoms ; in which depth, hav- 
ing tacked, at the distance of two miles and a half 
from the shore, two boats were despatched from 
each ship, under the command of Lieuts. Beechy 
and Hoppner, who, together with Captain Sabine, 
were directed to make the necessary observations, 
and to collect whatever specimens of natural histo- 
ry the place might afford. They landed on a beach 
of sand and stones, having passed, at the distance 
of one mile from it, several large masses of ice 
aground in six to eight fathoms water, which shoal- 
ed from thence gradually in to the shore. The 
officers describe this spot as more barren and dreary 
than any on which they had yet landed in the arc- 
tic regions ; there being scarcely any appearance of 
vegetation, except here and there a small tuft of 
stunted grass, and one or two species of saxifrage 
and poppy, although the ground was so swampy in 
many places that they could scarcely walk about. 
At a short distance from the sea, Lieutenant Hopp- 
ner discovered a large mass of iron-stone, which 
was found to attract the magnet very powerfully. 
There were no traces of inhabitants to be seen on 
this part of the coast. Part of the vertebras of a 
whale was found at some distance from the beach ; 
but this had probably been carried there by bears, 



POLAR REGIONS. 139 

the tracks of which were visible on the moist soil. 
The only birds seen were a few ptarmigans and 
snow buntings. 

As soon as the boats returned, the ships hove to 
the southward, along the edge of the ice which led 
them nearer the eastern shore, so that by midnight 
the channel in which they were sailing was nar- 
rowed to about five miles. They could find no 
soundings ; the weather was beautifully serene, and 
the sun, for the second time that season, just dip- 
ped below the northern horizon, and re-appeared a 
few minutes after. 

A dark sky to the southwest had given them 
hopes of finding a westerly passage to the south of 
the ice along which they were now sailing ; more 
especially as the inlet began to widen considerably 
as they advanced in that direction : but at three, 
A. M., on the morning of the 8th, they perceived that 
the ice ran close in with a point of land bearing 
S. by. E. from us, and which appeared to form the 
southern extremity of the eastern shore. To this 
extreme point Capt. Parry gave the name of Cape 
Kater. With the increasing width of the inlet, 
they had flattered themselves with increasing hopes ; 
but they soon experienced the mortification of dis- 
appointment. The prospect from the crow's nest 
began to assume a very Unpromising appearance, 
the whole of the western horizon, from north round 
to S. by. E., being completely covered with ice, con- 
sisting of heavy and extensive floes, beyond which 
no indication of water was visible ; instead of which 
there was a bright and dazzling ice-blink extending 



140 POLAR REGIONS. 

from shore to shore. The western coast of the 
inlet, however, trended much more to the west- 
ward than before, and no land was visible to the 
southwest, though the horizon was so clear in that 
quarter, that, if any had existed of moderate height, 
it might have been easily seen at this time, at the 
distance of ten or twelve leagues. From these 
circumstances, the impression received at the time 
was, that the land, both on the eastern and west- 
ern side of this inlet, would be one day found to 
consist of islands. As a fresh northerly breeze 
was drifting the ice rapidly towards Cape Kater, 
and there appeared to be no passage open between 
it and that cape, Capt. Parry did not consider it 
prudent, under such circumstances, to run the ships 
down to the point, or to attempt to force a passage 
through the ice, and therefore hauled to the wind, 
with the intention of examining a bay which was 
abreast of them, and to which the name of Fitzger- 
ald Bay was given. 

A boat from each ship was prepared to conduct 
this examination, and they stood in to drop them 
in-shore, but found, as they approached, that the 
bay was so filled with ice, as to render it impracti- 
cable for any boat to land,. Capt. Parry therefore 
determined, as the season was fast advancing to a 
close, to lose no time in returning to the north- 
ward, in the hope of finding the channel between 
Prince Leopold's Isles and Maxwell Bay more 
clear of ice than when they left it, in which case 
there could be little doubt of effecting a passage to 
the westward ; whereas, in their present situation, 



POLAR REGIONS. 141 

there appeared no prospect of doing so without 
risking the loss of more time than he deemed it 
prudent to spare. 

The .distance which they sailed to the southward 
in this inlet was about one hundred and twenty 
miles, Cape Kater being, by the observations, in lat. 
71° 53' 30", long. 90° 03' 45". As they returned to 
the northward with a light but favorable breeze, 
they found that the ice had approached the eastern 
shore of the inlet, leaving a much narrower channel 
than that by which they had entered ; and in some 
places it stretched completely across to the land on 
this side, while the opposite coast was still as inac- 
cessible as before. 

On the tenth, the weather was thick, with snow, 
which was succeeded by rain and fog. The compass 
being useless and the sun invisible, they stood off- 
and-on, near the ice till evening, when the weather 
becoming clear, they steered northward, keeping 
as near the western shore as the ice would permit. 
At eleven, P. M. they were stopped by the ice, 
which extended to the land on the eastern side of 
the inlet. This part of the coast is much higher 
than that farther to the southward. 

A fog arising, the ships were moored to a floe, 
but when the atmosphere cleared, they found 
themselves drifting with the floe upon another body 
of ice to leeward. They therefore cast off, and beat 
to the northward, which was attended with great 
difficulty on account of the drift ice, with which 
the whole inlet was now covered. 

Thus were several days passed in contending with 



142 POLAR REGIONS. 

fogs, head winds, and all the difficulties of arctic 
navigation. Neither officers nor crews lost health 
or spirits. If they repined at finding themselves in 
such a situation, it was not on account of the danger 
or labor, but because the accomplishment of their 
hopes was delayed. 

The twelfth being the birthday of the Prince 
Regent of England, very naturally suggested the 
name of the inlet in which they were sailing, and by 
which it is distinguished on the maps. Capt. Parry 
thinks that a passage may at some future time be 
found through it to Hudson's Bay, or the sea on the 
northern shore of America. 

The weather was beautifully calm and clear on 
the 13th, when, being near an opening in the east- 
ern shore, Capt. Parry took the opportunity of ex- 
amining it in a boat. It proved to be a bay, a mile 
wide at its entrance, and three miles deep in an 
E. by S. direction, having a small but snug cove on 
the north side, formed by an island, between which 
and the main land is a bar of rocks, [which com- 
pletely shelters the cove from sea or drift ice. The 
water was so deep, that in rowing close along the 
shore they could seldom get bottom with seven 
fathoms of line. The cliffs on the south side of 
this bay, to which the name of Port Bowen was 
given, resemble, in many places, ruined towers and 
battlements ; and fragments of the rocks were con- 
stantly falling from above. At the head of the bay 
is an extensive piece of low, flat ground, intersect- 
ed by numerous rivulets, which, uniting at a short 
distance from the beach, formed a deep and rapid 



POLAR REGIONS. 143 

stream, near the mouth of which he landed. This 
spot was extremely barren, the ground being almost 
entirely covered with small pieces of slaty limestone, 
among which no vegetation appeared for more than 
a mile, to which distance Mr Ross and Capt. Parry 
walked inland, following the banks of the stream. 
Among the fragments, they picked up one piece of 
limestone, on which was the impression of a fossil- 
shell, and saw a great number of young black 
guillemots, and a flock of ducks, which they sup- 
posed to be of the eider species. 

The latitude observed at the mouth of the stream 
was 73° 12' 1 1", and the longitude, by chronometers, 
89° 02' 08". From twenty minutes past eleven till 
a quarter after twelve, the tide rose by the shore 
six inches, and the high-water mark was between 
two and three feet above this ; but they were not 
long enough on shore to form a correct judgment 
of the time at which high water takes place. About 
three-quarters of a mile to the southward of Port 
Bo wen is another small bay, which they had not 
time to examine. 



144 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Appearance of the Land about Jackson's Bay. — Favorable Prospect to the 
Westward. — Gascoyne's Inlet discovered. — Farther Discoveries.- — Bar- 
row's Strait. 

When they had returned on board, a light south- 
ern breeze enabled them to steer towards Prince 
Leopold's Isles, which they found more encumber- 
ed with ice than before. The narwhales were here 
very numerous ; these animals appear fond of re- 
maining with their backs exposed above the surface 
of the water, in the same manner as the whale, but 
for a much longer time ; and they frequently also 
observed their horns erect, and quite stationary 
for several minutes together. Three or four miles 
to the northward of Port Bowen, they discovered 
another opening, having every appearance of an 
harbour, with an island near the entrance. It was 
named Jackson's Bay. The whole of the 14th was 
consumed in a vain attempt to find an opening in 
the ice, which remained perfectly close and com- 
pact, and as it continued in the same state on the 
15th, Capt. Parry went on shore to make observa- 
tions. He landed in one of the numerous valleys, 
or ravines, which occur on this part of the coast, 
and which, at a few miles' distance, very much re- 
semble bays, being bounded by high hills, which 
have the appearance of bluff head-lands. He found 
the water very deep close to the beach, which is 
composed of rounded limestones, and on which 



POLAR REGIONS. 145 

there was no surf; he then ascended, with some 
difficulty, the hill on the south side of the ravine, 
which is very steep, and covered with innumerable 
detached blocks of limestone, some of which are 
constantly rolling down from above, and which 
afford a very insecure footing. From the top of 
this hill, which is about six or seven hundred feet 
above the level of the sea, and which commands an 
extensive view to the westward, the prospect was 
by no means favorable to the immediate accomplish- 
ment of the enterprize. No water could be seen 
over the ice to the northwest, and a bright and 
dazzling blink covered the whole space comprised 
between the islands and the northern shore. It was a 
satisfaction, however, to find that no land appeared 
which was likely to impede his progress ; and he 
had been too much accustomed to the obstruction 
occasioned by ice, and too well aware of the sud~ 
denness with which that obstruction is often re- 
moved, to be at all discouraged by present appear- 
ances. 

On the top of this hill he deposited a bottle, con- 
taining a short notice of his visit, and raised over it 
a small mound of stones ; of these he found no 
want, for the surface was covered with small pieces 
of schistose limestone, but nothing like soil or vege- 
tation could be seen. He found a great quantity 
of madreporite among the lime, and at the foot of 
the hill met with one large piece, of the basaltiform 
kind. Several pieces of flint were also picked up 
on the beach. The insignificance of the stream 
which here emptied itself into the sea, formed, as 
13 



146 POLAR REGIONS. 

usual, a striking contrast with the size of the bed 
through which it flowed, the latter being several 
hundred feet deep, and two or three hundred yards 
wide. 

The wind was light the next day, and being 
hemmed in by ice or land on all sides, the ships 
scarcely changed their position. An experiment 
was made relative to the tide, which proved to flow 
from the southward, thus demonstrating that a pas- 
sage exists through Prince Regent's Inlet. 

There being no prospect of penetrating west- 
ward in the neighborhood of Prince Leopold's 
Isles, Capt. Parry determined to stand toward the 
northern shore again; and after beating for some 
hours among the drift ice, the ships got into clear 
water near the coast. There was just light enough 
at midnight to see to read and write in the cabins. 

On the 19th a snow-storm came on, and lasted two 
days, during which the ships were beating about, 
sometimes in great danger. This did not, however, 
hinder the indefatigable Parry from giving his at- 
tention to the survey of the coast, and several bays, 
capes, and inlets found place on the map in con- 
sequence. Passing along the shore, the ships left 
the ice behind, and on the 21st, there was nothing 
to impede their passage westward but want of 
wind. The narwhales were blowing around them 
in every direction, and three walrusses were seen 
upon a piece of ice. 

Advancing slowly to the westward, a considerable 
opening was discovered, which was named Gas- 
coyne's Inlet. The cliffs on this part of the coast 



POLAR REGIONS. 147 

were observed to be of secondary limestone. There 
was little or no vegetation at the only place where 
they had an opportunity to land ; but as they ob- 
served traces of reindeer, the interior of the coun- 
try cannot be altogether unproductive. 

The wind freshening, all sail was made to the 
westward, where the prospect began to wear a 
more and more interesting appearance. It was 
soon perceived, as they proceeded, that the land, 
along which they were sailing, and which, with the 
exception of some small inlets, had appeared to be 
hitherto continuous from Baffin's Bay, began now 
to trend much to the northward, leaving a large 
open space between that coast and a distant land 
to the westward, which appeared like an island, of 
which the extremes to the north and south were 
distinctly visible. The latter was a remarkable 
headland, having at its extremity two small table- 
hills, somewhat resembling boats turned bottom 
upwards, and was named Cape Hotham. At sun- 
set they had a clear and extensive view to the 
northward, between Cape Hotham and the eastern 
land. On the latter several headlands were dis- 
covered and named ; between the northernmost of 
those called Cape Bowden, and the island to the 
westward, there was a channel of more than eight 
leagues in width, in which neither land nor ice 
could be seen from the mast-head. To this noble 
channel Capt. Parry gave the name of Wellington. 
The arrival off this grand opening was an event for 
which they had long been looking with much anx- 
iety and impatience ; for the continuity of land to 



148 POLAR REGIONS. 

the northward had always been a source of uneasi- 
ness to them, principally from the possibility that 
it might take a turn to the southward and unite 
with the coast of America. The appearance of 
this broad opening, free from ice, and of the land 
on each side of it, more especially that on the west, 
leaving scarcely a doubt of the latter being an 
island, relieved them from all anxiety on that score ; 
and every one thought that they were now finally 
disentangled from the land which forms the west- 
ern side of Baffin's Bay ; and that, in fact, they had 
actually entered the Polar Sea. Fully impressed 
with this idea, Capt. Parry gave to this magnificent 
opening the name of Barrow's Strait. 



CHAPTER V. 

Further Progress of the Expedition. — New Discoveries. — Bathurst's Island. — 
Novel Expedient in Navigation. 

Two thirds of the month of August had now 
elapsed, and they expected that the sea would re- 
main navigable six weeks more. The ships had suf- 
fered no injury, they had plenty of provisions, the 
crews were in high health and spirits, and the sea 
before them, if not open, was at least navigable. 
Officers and men united in a zealous determination 
to accomplish, by all possible exertions, the great 
object on which they were employed. 

On the 23d, a fresh breeze sprung up, and every 



POLAR REGIONS. 149 

appearance indicated an unobstructed passage west- 
ward. Wellington Channel, to the northward, was 
as open as might be, but as it lay at right angles 
with their course, and there was still a large open- 
ing south of Cornwallis' Island, Capt. Parry judged 
it most advisable to try the latter. The wind was 
fair and the navigators experienced that exhiliration 
which is produced by rapid motion of any kind, 
heightened by contrast with the slow and tedious 
progress they had hitherto made. Their disap- 
pointment was the greater, when in the midst of 
these favourable appearances, it was suddenly re- 
ported from the crow's nest, that a body of ice 
barred the passage between Cornwallis' Island and 
the land to the southward. As they approached 
this obstacle, after lying to for an hour, Lieut. 
Beechy discovered that one narrow part of the 
barrier appeared to consist of loose pieces of heavy 
ice detached from the main body, and that beyond 
this there was a considerable extent of open water. 

The Hecla was immediately pushed into this part 
of the ice, and after a quarter of an hour's ' boring,' 
during which the breeze had, as usual, nearly de- 
serted her, succeeded in forcing her way through 
the heck. The Griper followed in the opening 
which the Hecla had made, and they continued 
their course to the westward, having once more a 
navigable sea before them. 

They now remarked, that a very decided change 

had taken place in the character of the land to the 

northward since leaving Beechey Island ; the coast 

near the latter being bold and precipitous next the 

13* 



150 POLAR REGIONS. 

sea, with very deep water close to it, while the 
shores of Cornwaliis' Island rise with a gradual as- 
cent from a beach which appeared to be com- 
posed of sand. Another opening in the southern 
shore was called Cunningham Inlet, and a very large 
one on the northern shore, Martin's Inlet. 

At two, P. M. having reached longitude 95° 67, 
they came to heavy and extensive floes, which 
obliged the ships to tack, as there was no passage 
between them. The rest of the afternoon was 
passed in beating to the northward in search of a 
passage, but none was found. On the contrary, the 
ice was in contact with the shore, from which it 
appeared not to have been detached this season. 
After several unsuccessful attempts to force a pas- 
sage, they at last succeeded, by boring through 
several heavy streams. The ships received many 
severe shocks in this operation, but luckily sustain- 
ed no essential damage, and at midnight were en- 
abled to pursue their course to the westward. 

Several low, sandy islands were observed, to 
which, as usual, names were given. The principal 
was called Bathurst Island. No whales or narwhales 
had been seen for several days, and it was remarked 
with some degree of uneasiness, that no living crea- 
ture had this day been seen. They were, however, 
encouraged to find that while the sea beyond them 
was covered for the most part with heavy ice, yet 
that a channel of sufficient breadth was open be- 
tween it and the lee shore of Bathurst Island. 
This ice lay in very large fields, covered with hum- 
mocks. 



POLAR REGIONS. 151 

The ships made very little way this night, but in 
the morning early they advanced with more speed, 
and more land was seen to the westward. The 
space to the westward was so broad, and the pros- 
pect from the mast-head so flattering, that Capt. 
Parry thought proper to appoint a place where the 
Griper should find the Hecla, in case of separation 
by the difference of sailing. But about seven, P. 
M. the precaution was found to have been need- 
less, for the ice stretched across the strait, and barr- 
ed the passage. This ice was covered with stones, 
sand, and in some places with moss. 

Finding no passage on the south side of the 
island, Capt. Parry resolved to seek one along the 
northern shore. As the vessels were rounding the 
eastern point, Capt. Sabine and other officers were 
despatched to make the requisite observations, and 
to examine the natural productions of the shore. 
A thick fog came on soon after the boat had land- 
ed, and the ships stood off and on, firing signal 
guns, which were at length answered by musquets 
from the boat, which came on board in safety. 

The gentlemen reported, on their return, that they 
had landed on a sandy beach, near the east point 
of the island, which they found to be more produc- 
tive, and altogether more interesting than any other 
part of the shores of the polar regions which they 
had yet visited. The remains of Esquimaux habi- 
tations were found in four different places. Six of 
these, which Captain Sabine had an opportunity of 
examining, and which are situated on a level sandy 
bank, at the side of a small ravine near the sea, are 



152 POLAR REGIONS. 

described by him as consisting of stones rudely 
placed in a circular, or rather an elliptical form. 
They were from seven to ten feet in diameter, the 
broad, flat sides of the stones standing vertically, 
and the whole structure, if such it may be called, 
being exactly similar to that of the summer huts of 
the Esquimaux, which had been seen the preceding 
year. Attached to each was a smaller circle, 
about four or five feet in diameter. The small 
circles were placed indifferently, as to their di- 
rection from the huts to which they belonged ; 
and from the moss and sand which covered some 
of the lower stones, particularly those which com- 
posed the flooring of the huts, the whole encamp- 
ment appeared to have been deserted for several 
years. Very recent traces of the rein-deer and 
musk-ox were seen in many places ; and a head 
of the latter, with several rein-deers' horns, was 
brought on board. A few patches of snow remain- 
ed in sheltered situations ; the ravines, however, 
which w T ere numerous, bore the signs of recent 
and considerable floods, and their bottoms were 
swampy, covered with very luxuriant moss, and other 
vegetation, the character of which differed very 
little from that of the land at the bottom of Posses- 
sion Bay. 

The latitude of the place of observation was 
75° 09' 23", and the longitude, by chronometers, 
103° 44' 37". The dip of the magnetic needle was 
88° 35' 58'', and the variation was now found to have 
changed from 128° 58' west, in the longitude of 
91° 48', where their last observation on shore had 



* 



POLAR REGIONS. 153 

been made, to 165° 50' 09'' east, at our present sta- 
tion ; so that they had, in sailing over the space in- 
cluded between those two meridians, crossed im- 
mediately to the northward of the magnetic pole, 
and had undoubtedly passed over one of those 
spots upon the globe, where the needle would 
have been found to vary 180°, or, in other words, 
were its north pole would have pointed due south. 
This spot would, in all probability, at this time, 
be somewhere not far from the meridian of 100° 
west of Greenwich. 

Such an observation would have been highly in- 
teresting, but considering the precarious nature of 
this navigation, Capt. Parry did not feel himself 
justified in making the stay it would have required. 

The fogs now froze hard upon the rigging, which 
made it very laborious to work the ship, as each 
rope was thus increased to twice or three times its 
proper diameter. On the evening of the 29th a very 
thick fog came on, and they sailed under such cir- 
cumstances as have seldom occurred in navigation. 
Having observed that in this strait the wind always 
blew some hours steadily from one quarter, the 
quarter-masters steered by the vane at the mast- 
head,' instead of the compass, which was here ut- 
terly useless. At night it was impossible to sail in 
any degree of security, and the ships were made 
fast to a floe till morning. The floe was not more 
than six or seven feet thick, and was covered with 
numerous pools of water, all hard frozen. The of- 
ficers amused themselves in skating upon the pools, 
and the men in sliding, football, and other games. 



154 POLAR REGIONS. 

Thus the ships remained till the morning of the 
thirtyfirst, when a new expedient for sailing was 
adopted. 

Before the fog commenced, and while they were 
sailing on the course which by the bearings of the 
land they knew to be the right one, the Griper 
was exactly astern of the Hecla, at the distance of 
about a quarter of a mile. The weather being for- 
tunately not so thick as to prevent still seeing her 
at that distance, the quarter-master was directed 
to stand aft, near the taffrail, and to keep her con- 
stantly astern, by which means they contrived to 
steer a tolerably straight course to the westward. 
The Griper, on the other hand, naturally kept the 
Hecla right a-head ; and thus, however ridiculous 
it may appear, it is, nevertheless, true, that they 
steered one ship entirely by the other for a distance 
of ten miles out of sixteen and a half, which they 
sailed between one and eleven, P. M. It then 
being rather dark, and the water having become 
shallow, it was not considered prudent to proceed 
farther in that direction. 



POLAR REGIONS. 155 



CHAPTER VI. 

Some Description of the Shores of Melville Island. — The Ships' Companies 
win the Premium for penetrating to Longitude 110° West from Green- 
wich. — Bay of the Hecla and Griper. — Farther Proceedings. — Loss and 
Sufferings of a Hunting Party. 

The morning of the first of September brought a 
breeze, and with it a snow-storm, so that they were 
unable to shape their course till the afternoon, 
when the weather cleared, and a small, low island 
was discovered. 

At one, on the 2d, a star was seen, the first that 
had been visible for more than two months. The 
fog came on again, and there was not wind enough 
to enable them to keep the ships under command, 
which caused them to receive very hard blows, 
though the ice was loose enough to have allowed a 
tolerably easy passage, with a moderate wind. As 
none of the pieces were large enough to make the 
ships fast to, after the usual manner, they could 
only heave to, to windward of the larger masses, and 
drift with them. In the afternoon they stood in 
for the land, and at one, P. M. Capt. Parry went on 
shore, and was joined by the Griper's boats. They 
landed on a very flat, sandy beach, which did not 
allow the boats to come nearer than their own 
length. The basis of this land is sandstone ; but 
they met with limestone also, occurring in loose 
pieces on the surface, and several lumps of coal 
were brought in by the parties who had traversed 



156 POLAR REGIONS. 

the island in different directions. The sportsmen 
were by no means successful, having seen only 
two deer, which were too wild to allow them to 
get near them. The dung of these animals, how- 
ever, as well as that of the musk-ox, was very 
abundant, especially in those places where the 
moss was most luxuriant; every here and there 
they came to a spot of this kind, consisting of one 
or two acres of ground, covered with a rich vege- 
tation, and which was evidently the feeding-place 
of those animals, there being quantities of their 
hair and wool lying scattered about. Several heads 
of the musk-ox were picked up, and one of the 
Hecla's seamen brought to the boat a narwhale's 
horn, which he found on a hill more than a mile 
from the sea, and which must have been carried 
thither by Esquimaux or by bears. Three or four 
brace of ptarmigan were killed, and these were the 
only supply of this kind which they obtained. Ser- 
jeant Martin of the artillery, and Captain Sabine's 
servant, brought down to the beach several pieces 
of a large fir tree, which they found nearly buried 
in the sand, at the distance of three or four hundred 
yards from the present high-water mark, and not 
less than thirty feet above the level of -the sea. 
They found no indication of this part of the island 
having been inhabited, unless the narwhale's horn, 
above mentioned, be considered as such. 

The latitude of the place of observation here, 
which was within a hundred yards of the beach, 
was 74° 58', the longitude, by chronometers, 107° 
03' 31".7, and the variation of the magnetic needle 



POLAR REGIONS. 157 

151° 30' 03" easterly. At the top of a hill, immedi- 
ately above the place of observation, and about a 
mile from the sea, a bottle was buried, containing 
the usual information. A mound of sand and stones 
was raised over it, with a boarding-pike fixed in the 
middle. 

On the morning of the third, a northern breeze 
again enabled them to make some progress. The 
farthest land to the westward was a point which 
they found much difficulty in passing, for the ice 
had closed in upon the land. They made tolerable 
progress this day, and on the 4th, at nine, P. M. 
crossed the meridian of 110° west from Green- 
wich, in latitude 74° 44' 20'', by which the ships' com- 
panies became entitled to a reward of five thou- 
sand pounds, offered by the King's order in council, 
£ to such British subjects as might penetrate so far 
west within the Arctic Circle.' 

On the 5th, they found the passage blocked up 
again, and stood off and on, waiting for an opening 
to occur ; but no change taking place, and a heavy 
gale coming on, the ships anchored in a tolerable 
roadstead, a mile and a half from the northern shore. 
In the evening, Capt. Sabine and some of the oth- 
er officers went on shore. They landed on a low 
point a little to the westward of the ships, which 
they found to be a very barren and unproductive 
spot ; several flocks of ducks were seen, and some 
glaucous gulls and tern ; the dung and foot-tracks 
of the deer and musk-ox were also observed in 
many places ; and some addition was made by the 
gentlemen to their collection of marine insects, 
14 



1-58 POLAR REGIONS. 

The rocks are composed entirely of sandstone ; but 
a few small pieces of granite, flint, and coal, were 
also among the specimens brought on board. This 
island was named Melville Island, and the roadstead 
where the ships lay was called. The Bay of the 
Hecla and Griper. 

The Bay of the Hecla and Griper was the first 
place where they had dropped anchor since leaving 
England, a circumstance which seemed to mark the 
completion of one stage of the voyage. The flags 
were hoisted as soon as the ships anchored, in 
honor of the epoch ; the first time that the eye of 
civilized man had looked on that barren and in- 
hospitable region. 

In the afternoon of the 6th, the ice was observed 
to be in motion, and the ships got under way, and 
penetrated through it, and sailed a short distance. 
They were again beginning to indulge in flattering 
hopes, when a compact body of ice was observed 
from the crow's nest, extending quite across their 
intended passage. They ran sufficiently close to 
be assured that the floes joined the shore, and that no 
opening existed, nor was any clear water to be seen 
beyond them from the mast-head. The ships were 
therefore secured to a floe ; for the season was now 
so far advanced as to make it necessary to secure 
them every night from ten till two o'clock, the 
weather being too dark to. allow them to keep under 
way. 

It being found that the situation in which the 
ships lay was such as to expose them to be nipped 
between the floes, in case of a change in the posi- 



POLAR REGIONS. 159 

tion of the ice, Capt. Parry determined to remove 
them nearer to the land. Two large masses lay 
aground, and the vessels were secured between 
them and the shore. These masses were from 
twenty to thirty feet high from the water, and about 
the length of the ships, each. They appeared to 
have been forced upon the beach by an enormous 
pressure from without. The parties from the shore 
returned with a white hare, several fine ptarmigans, 
a few snow-buntings, some skulls of the musk-ox, 
and several reindeers' horns ; but they were not 
fortunate enough to meet with either of the two 
latter animals. The island is here, as in the other 
parts on which they had landed, principally com- 
posed of sand-stone, of which some spherical no- 
dules, one of them as large as a nine-pound shot, 
were brought on board. Several lumps of coal, 
which was here more abundant than they had yet 
found it, were also picked up, and were found to 
burn with a clear lively flame, like cannel coal, but 
without splitting and crackling in the same manner. 
On the 9th, their mortification was great to per- 
ceive that not only the ice was as close as ever to 
the .westward, but the floes in their immediate 
neighbourhood were approaching the shore. On 
the 10th, it snowed. At five, A. M. a floe ran 
against the berg within which the Hecla was se- 
cured, and turned it round, as on a pivot. They 
were by this time so surrounded with ice that 
no clear water was to be seen, and all that could be 
done was to attend carefully to the safety of the ships. 
A party returned in the evening from a shooting 



160 POLAR REGIONS. 

excursion, and reported that the sea was covered 
with ice as far as they could see from the hill-tops. 
; On the eleventh, there was no alteration in ap- 
pearances, and a party sent to observe the ice return- 
ed with the news that all was equally unpromising 
farther on. One of the officers killed the first musk- 
ox that they had yet been able to approach. 

They now began to be alarmed for the fate of a 
shooting party that had left the Griper two days 
before, and parties went in search of them. In the 
evening of the 12th they arrived. They had lost 
their way a few hours after leaving the ship, and 
had wandered about they knew not whither, till 
they saw a flag-staff that had been set up for their 
guidance. At night they had halted, made a little 
fire to keep their feet from freezing, and put up a 
small hut of stones to shelter them from the weather. 
They had not been in actual want of food, having 
lived upon raw grouse, of which they had enough 
to subsist upon. The whole party were much ex- 
hausted with cold and fatigue, and several of them 
had their fingers and toes severely frost-bitten. 
Before midnight, after their return, the thermometer 
fell to 15°, and a hard gale gave them reason to be 
thankful that their absence had not been longer 
protracted, 



POLAR REGIONS. 161 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Ships return to the Bay of the Hecla and Griper, and take up a Po- 
sition for the Winter. — Proceedings at Winter Harbor. — Internal Ar- 
rangements of the Ships. 

The packed ice remaining immoveable, and the 
' young' ice rapidly forming, farther progress was 
considered impracticable that season. Capt. Parry 
thought it best to run back to the Bay of the Hecla 
and Griper and to pass the winter there. The 
other officers concurring with him in opinion, the 
signal to weigh anchor was given on the 22d, and 
the crews began to heave at the cables ; but so 
stiff had they become with frost, and so much ice 
had accumulated upon them, that it was five, P. M. 
before the anchors were brought on board. Their 
retrograde movement was so much impeded by the 
ice that had formed behind them, that they did not 
reach the anchorage till the evening of the next 
day. 

A proper place being found, the ships dropped 
anchor on the edge of the bay ice in the evening of 
the 24th, in order to commence operations. A line 
for a canal was marked upon the ice by a row of 
boarding-pikes, and every officer and man was em- 
ployed in the work, which went on as follows. 
Two parallel lines were marked out, a little more 
than the breadth of the ships apart. Along each 
of these lines a cut was then made with an ice-saw^ 
14* 



162 POLAR REGIONS. 

and others again at right angles to them, at inter- 
vals of from ten to twenty feet ; thus dividing the 
ice into a number of rectangular pieces, which it 
was again necessary to subdivide diagonally, in or- 
der to give room for their being floated out of the 
canal. Capt. Parry returning from the upper part 
of the harbour, where he had marked out what ap- 
peared to be the best situation for winter-quarters, 
found that considerable progress had been made in 
cutting the canal, and in floating the pieces out of 
it. To facilitate the latter part of the process, the 
seamen, who are always fond of doing things in 
their own way, took advantage of a fresh northerly 
breeze, by setting some boats' sails upon the pieces 
of ice, a contrivance which saved both time and 
labor. This part of the operation, however, w T as 
by far the most troublesome, principally on account 
of the quantity of young ice which formed in the 
canal, and especially about the entrance, where, be- 
fore sun-set, it had become so thick that a passage 
could no longer be found for the detached pieces, 
without considerable trouble in breaking it. At 
half past seven, P. M. they weighed their anchors, 
and began to warp up the canal ; but the northerly 
wind blew so fresh, and the people were so much 
fatigued, having been almost constantly at work for 
nineteen hours, that it was midnight before they 
reached the termination of their first day's labor. 
While they were thus employed, about nine o'clock 
a vivid flash of light was observed, exactly like 
lightning. There was at the same time, and during 
the greater part of the night, a permanent bright- 



POLAR REGIONS. 163 

ness in the northern quarter of the heavens, which 
was probably occasioned by the Aurora Borealis. 

All hands were again set to work on the morn- 
ing of the 25th, when it was proposed to sink the 
pieces of ice, as they were cut, under the floe, in- 
stead of floating them out, the latter mode having 
now become impracticable on account of the lower 
part of the canal, through which the ships had pass- 
ed being hard frozen during the night. To effect 
this, it was necessary for a certain number of men 
to stand upon one end of the piece of ice which it 
was intended to sink, while other parties, hauling 
at the same time upon ropes attached to the oppo- 
site end, dragged the block under that part of the 
floe on which the people stood. The officers of 
both ships took the lead in this employ, several of 
them standing up to their knees in water frequent- 
ly during the day, with the thermometer generally 
at 12°, and never higher than 16°. At six, P. M. 
they began to move the ships. The Griper was 
made fast astern of the Hecla, and the two ships' 
companies being divided on each bank of the canal, 
with ropes from the Hecla's gangways, soon drew 
the ships along to the end of their second day's 
work. 

The next day was Sunday, but it being a matter 
of absolute necessity to get the ships into security 
with despatch, the work was continued. At noon, 
the whole canal was completed ; a length of four 
thousand and eightytwo yards, through ice seven 
inches thick. By half past one the ships were 
warped to their winter positions ; an event which 



164 POLAR REGIONS. 

was hailed with three hearty cheers from the crews. 
They were in five fathoms water, a cable's length 
from the beach of the northwestern side of the harbor. 
The wintering ground received the name of Winter 
Harbor ; and the group of which the island formed 
a part was denominated North Georgian Islands, in 
honor of the reigning sovereign of Great Britain. 

Having thus reached the place where they were 
probably to pass nine months, three of them in the 
absence of the sun, Capt. Parry found himself call- 
ed upon to act in circumstances in which no British 
naval officer had ever before been placed. The 
security of the ships and the preservation of the 
stores were the most immediate duties, and he lost 
no time in going about it. A regular system for 
the maintenance of good order, cleanliness, and 
consequently, health, were equal claims on his at- 
tention. Amusement was to be found for the men, 
as well as employment to relieve the tedium of so 
cheerless a sojourn, and scientific observations w^ere 
to be made. In no point was the gallant officer 
and hardy navigator found wanting, and he was 
ably seconded by the officers under his command. 
A brief account of their proceedings will not only 
be amusing, but convey the best knowledge of that 
dreary region. 

Immediately on their arrival in harbor, Captain 
Sabine had employed himself in selecting a place 
for an observatory, which was erected in a con- 
venient spot, about seven hundred yards to the 
westward of the ships, It was also considered 



POLAR REGIONS. 165 

advisable immediately to set about building a house 
near the beach, for the reception of the clocks and 
instruments. For this purpose, they made use of 
a quantity of fir-plank, which was intended for the 
construction of spare boats, and which was so cut 
as not to injure it for that purpose. The ground 
was so hard frozen that it required great labor to 
dig holes for the upright posts which formed the 
support of the sides. The walls of this house 
being double, with moss placed between the two, 
a high temperature could, even in the severest 
weather which they might be doomed to experi- 
ence, be kept up in it without difficulty by a single 
stove. 

Not a moment was lost, in the commencement 
of operations. The whole of the masts were dis- 
mantled, except the lower ones and the Hecla's 
main-top-mast ; the lower yards were lashed fore 
and aft amidships, to support the planks of the hous- 
ing intended to be erected over the ships ; and the 
whole of this frame-work was afterwards roofed 
over with a cloth. The boats, spars, running rig- 
ging, and sails were removed on shore ; and as soon 
as the ships were secured and housed over, Capt. 
Parry's whole attention was directed to the health 
and comfort of the officers and men. The surgeon 
reported that not the slightest disposition to scurvy 
had shown itself in either ship. 

In order to prolong this healthy state of the 
crews, and to promote the comfort of all, such ar- 
rangements were made for the warmth and dryness 
of the births and bed-places, as circumstances ap- 



166 POLAR REGIONS. 

peared to require ; and in this respect some difficul- 
ties were to be overcome, which could not, per- 
haps, have been anticipated. Soon after their ar- 
rival in Winter Harbor, when the temperature of 
the atmosphere had fallen considerably below zero 
of Fahrenheit, it was found that the steam from 
the coppers, as well as the breath and other vapor 
generated in the inhabitated parts of the ship, be- 
gan to condense into drops upon the beams and 
the sides to such a degree as to keep them constant- 
ly wet. In order to remove this serious evil, it was 
necessary to adopt such means for producing a 
sufficient warmth, combined with due ventilation, as 
might carry off the vapor, and thus prevent its 
settling on any part of the ship. For this purpose 
a large stone oven, cased with cast-iron, in which 
all their bread was baked during the winter, was 
placed on the main-hatchway, and the stove-pipe 
led fore and aft on one side of the lower deck, the 
smoke being thus carried up the fore hatchway. 
On the opposite side of the deck, an apparatus had 
been attached to the galley-range for conveying a 
current of heated air between decks. This appa- 
ratus simply consisted of an iron box, or air-vessel, 
about fifteen inches square, through which passed 
three pipes, of two inches diameter, communicating 
from below with the external air, and uniting above 
in a metal box, fixed to the side of the galley-range ; 
to this box a copper stove-pipe was attached, and 
conveyed to the middle part of the lower deck. 
When a fire was made under the air-vessel, the air 
became heated in its passage through the three 
pipes, from which it was conveyed through the 



POLAR REGIONS. 167 

stove-pipe to the men's births. While this appara- 
tus was in good order, a moderate fire produced a 
current of air of the temperature of 87°, at the dis- 
tance of seventeen feet from the fire-place ; and, 
with a pipe of wood, or any other imperfect con- 
ductor of heat, which would not allow of its es- 
caping by the way, it might undoubtedly be carried 
to a much greater distance. By these means they 
were enabled to get rid of the moisture about the 
births where the people messed ; but when the 
weather became more severely cold, it still accu- 
mulated in the bed-places occasionally to a serious 
and very alarming degree. Among the means em- 
ployed to prevent the injurious effects arising from 
this annoyance, one of the most efficacious perhaps 
was a screen made of fear-nought, fixed to the 
beams round the galley, and dropping within eigh- 
teen inches of the deck, which served to intercept 
the steam from the coppers, and prevent it from 
curling along the beams, as before, and condensing 
upon them into drops. This screen was especially 
useful at the time of drawing off the beer, which they 
had lately been in the habit of brewing from essence 
of malt and hops, and which continued to be served 
for several weeks as a substitute for part of the 
usual allowance of spirits. They found the steam 
arising from this process so annoying during the 
cold weather, that, valuable as the beer must be 
considered as an antiscorbutic beverage, it was 
deemed advisable to discontinue their brewery on 
that account. When the weather became severely 
cold, they could not get the beer to ferment, so as 
to make it palatable. 



68 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Mode of serving out Provisions and Fuel. — Theatre. — Weekly Newspaper. — 
Emigration of the Reindeer. — A White Bear. — Intense Cold. 

For the preservation of healthy and as a necessary 
measure of economy, a few alterations were made 
in the quantity and quality of the provisions issu- 
ed. The allowance of bread was permanently re- 
duced to two-thirds, a precaution which, perhaps, it 
would have been as well to have adopted from the 
commencement of the voyage. A pound of pre- 
served meat, together with one pint of vegetable or 
concentrated soup per man, was substituted for one 
pound of salt beef weekly ; a proportion of beer 
and wine was served in lieu of spirits ; and a small 
quantity of sourkrout and pickles, with as much 
vinegar as could be used, was issued at regular inter- 
vals. The daily proportion of lime-juice and sugar 
was mixed together, and, with a proper quantity of 
water, was drank by each man, in presence of an 
officer appointed to attend to this duty. The latter 
precaution may appear to have been unnecessary, 
to those who are not aware how much sailors re- 
semble children in all those points in which their 
own health and comfort are concerned. Whenever 
any game was procured, it was directed to be in- 
variably served in lieu of, and not in addition to, 
the established allowance of other meat, except in 
a few extraordinary cases, when such an indulgence 
was allowed; and in no one instance, either in 



POLAR REGIONS. 169 

quantity or quality, was the slightest preference 
given to the officers. 

In the article of fuel, which is of such vital im- 
portance in so severe a climate, a system of the 
most rigid economy was adopted ; such a quantity 
of coal only being expended, as was barely sufficient 
for the preservation of health on board the ships. 
A search was made for turf or moss, immediately 
after their arrival, and a small quantity of the latter 
was made use of as fuel ; but, without a previous 
drying, which, from the advanced period of the 
season, they had no means of giving it, it was found 
to be too wet to produce any saving of coals. They 
also looked out most anxiously for a vein of coal 
on shore, but only a few lumps were picked up 
during their stay in Winter Harbour. 

Great attention was paid to the clothing of the 
men, and one day in the week was appointed for 
the examination of the men's shins and gums by the 
medical gentlemen, in order that any slight appear- 
ance of the scurvy might at once be detected, and 
checked by timely and adequate means. 

Whenever a blanket was brought on deck, and 
suffered to remain there for a short time, it of course 
acquired the temperature of the atmosphere. When 
this happened to be rather low, under zero of Fah- 
renheit for instance, the immediate consequence, 
on taking the blanket again into the inhabited parts 
of the ship, was, that the vapor settled and con- 
densed upon it, rendering it almost instantly so wet 
as to be unfit to sleep on, and requiring, therefore, 
after all, that it should be dried by artificial heat 
15 



170 POLAR REGIONS. 

before it could be returned into the bed-place. 
They were, therefore, under the necessity of hang- 
ing the bedding upon lines between decks, as the 
only mode of airing it ; and what was likely to 
prove still more prejudicial, they were obliged to have 
recourse to the same unhealthy measure in drying 
the washed clothes. 

Under circumstances of leisure and inactivity, 
such as they were now placed in, and with every 
prospect of its continuance for a very large portion 
of the year, Capt. Parry was desirous of finding 
some amusement for the men during this long and 
tedious interval. He proposed, therefore, to the 
officers, to get up a play occasionally on board the 
Hecla, as the readiest means of preserving among 
the crews that cheerfulness and good humor which 
had hitherto subsisted. In this proposal he was 
readily seconded by the officers of both ships ; and 
Lieutenant Beechey having been duly elected 
stage-manager, their first performance was fixed for 
the 5th of November, to the great delight of the 
ships' companies. In these amusements Capt. Parry 
gladly took a part himself, considering that an ex- 
ample of cheerfulness, by giving a direct counte- 
nance to everything that could contribute to it, 
was not the least essential part of his duty, under 
the peculiar circumstances in which they were 
placed. 

In order still further to promote good humor, 
as well as to furnish amusing occupation, during the 
hours of constant darkness, they set on foot a week- 
ly newspaper, which was to be called the North 



POLAR REGIONS. 171 

Georgia Gazette and Winter Chronicle, and of which 
Captain Sabine undertook to be the editor, under 
the promise that it was to be supported by original 
contributions from the officers of the two ships: 
and, though some objection may, perhaps, be raised 
against a paper of this kind being generally resorted 
to in ships of war, Capt Parry was too well ac- 
quainted with the discretion, as well as the excel- 
lent dispositions of his officers, to apprehend any 
unpleasant consequences from a measure of this 
kind : instead of which, the weekly contributions 
had the happy effect of employing the leisure hours 
of those who furnished them, and of diverting the 
mind from the gloomy prospect which would some- 
times obtrude itself on the stoutest heart. 

Among the fortunate circumstances of this sea- 
son's navigation, none was more striking than the 
opportune time the ships got into harbour ; for on 
the very night of their arrival the temperature 
fell to one degree, and on the next morning the 
sea was seen from the hill tops to be frozen over 
as far as the eye could reach, nor was any open 
water seen afterwards. During the first weeks of 
October the young ice was sometimes much squeezed 
by the larger floes, a proof that they had yet some 
room to move in; but after that time, the sea was 
covered with solid and motionless ice. 

A few reindeer and coveys of grouse were seen, 
but the land was so bare that the sportsmen found no 
cover that might aid in approaching them, and they 
only killed three deer in all their excursions. The 
reindeer emigrated before the close of October, 



172 POLAR REGIONS. 

leaving only bears, foxes, and wolves behind them. 
On the first of this month, a bear chased one of the 
men quite to the ships, where he was wounded with 
several balls, but nevertheless escaped. Another 
time a marine belonging to the Griper stayed so 
long on shore in pursuit of reindeer, that he would 
have perished of cold, if he had not been found 
and brought on board. His fingers were frozen 
quite stiff, so that notwithstanding the care and 
attention of the surgeon, it was found necessary to 
amputate three of them. It would seem, that the 
cold of this climate gives those who suffer its 
rigor every appearance of the last stage of intoxica- 
tion, an effect we have never observed in a low 
temperature elsewhere. 

All the water used on board the ships was pro- 
cured by dissolving the snow, which was dug out 
of large drifts, and was quite pure and whole- 
some. In strong winds, the snow was so whirled 
about, that nothing could be seen more than a quar- 
ter of a mile. On such occasions, no person was 
permitted to leave the ships, for no human being 
could have borne such exposure an hour. In order 
to procure a communication between the ships a 
distance of a cable's length, and with the house on 
shore, a line was kept extended from one to the 
other. To prevent absent parties from losing them- 
selves, guide-boards were erected on all the hills 
for three miles round. After the middle of October, 
whenever the snow fell, it consisted of very minute 
particles, in every form of crystallization. The 
meridian altitude of the sun was observed for the 
last time on the 16th of October. 



POLAR REGIONS. 173 

About the 17th, the reindeer were seen in great 
numbers ; but on the 20th, the sportsmen saw no 
living thing. On the 26th, the light was sufficient 
to allow of reading and writing in the cabins, from 
half past nine till half past two. The rest of the 
hours were spent by lamp light Nothing could 
exceed the beauty of the sky to the southeast and 
southwest at sunrise and sunset about this period : 
near the horizon there was generally a rich bluish 
purple, and a bright arch of deep red above, the 
one mingling imperceptibly with the other. The 
weather about this time was remarkably mild, the 
mercury in the thermometer having stood at or 
above zero for more than fortyeight hours. By 
a register of the temperature of the atmosphere, 
which was kept by Captain Sabine at the observa- 
tory, it was found that the thermometer invariably 
stood at least from 2° to 5°, and even on one or two 
occasions as much as 7° higher on the outside of 
the ships than it did on shore, owing probably to 
a warm atmosphere created round the former, by 
the constant fires kept up on board. 

It now became rather a painful experiment to 
touch any metallic substance in the open air with 
the naked hand ; the feeling produced by it exactly 
resembling that occasioned by the opposite ex- 
treme of intense heat, and taking off : e skin from 
the part affected. They found it necessary, there- 
fore, to use great caution in handling the sextants 
and other instruments, particularly the sve-pieces 
of telescopes, which, if suffered to toud the face, 
occasioned an intense burning pain ; but this was 
15* 



174 POLAR REGIONS. 

easily remedied, by covering them over with soft 
leather. Another effect, with regard to the use 
of instruments, began to appear about this time. 
Whenever any instrument, which had been some 
time exposed to the atmosphere, so as to be cooled 
down to the same temperature, was suddenly 
brought below into the cabins, the vapor was in- 
stantly condensed all around it, so as to give the 
instrument the appearance of smoking ; and the 
glasses were covered almost instantaneously with 
a thin coating of ice, the removal of which required 
great caution to prevent the risk of injuring them, 
until it had gradually thawed, as they acquired the 
temperature of the cabin. When a candle was 
placed in a certain direction from the instrument 
with respect to the observer, a number of very 
minute spicule of snow were also seen sparkling 
around the instrument, at the distance of two or 
three inches from it, occasioned by the cold atmos- 
phere produced by the low temperature of the in- 
strument almost instantaneously congealing into 
that form the vapor which floated in its immediate 
neighbourhood. 



POLAR REGIONS. 175 



CHAPTER IX. 

Opening of the Theatre. — Wolves and White Foxes. — Measures to ohviate 
the Effects of the Cold. — Mode of Passing the Time. 

November set in with mild weather. The fourth 
was the last day that the sun, independently of re- 
fraction, would be seen above the horizon for nine- 
tysix days, but the weather was too thick to allow 
of making any observations. On the fifth their the- 
atre opened with the representation of Miss in her 
Teens, which afforded the men a great fund of 
amusement. Even fitting up the theatre and taking 
it to pieces again, was a matter of no small impor- 
tance, as it kept the men employed a day or two 
before and after each performance, which was a 
considerable object gained. 

On the 11th, the thermometer fell to — 26 J for 
the second time. The wolves began to approach 
the ships boldly, howling most piteously on the 
beach near, sometimes for hours together, and, on 
one or two occasions, coming alongside the ships, 
when everything was quiet at night ; but they sel- 
dom saw more than one or two together, and, 
therefore, could form no idea of their number. 
These animals were always very shy of coming 
near the people, and, though evidently suffering 
much from hunger, never attempted to attack any 
of them. The white foxes used also to visit the 
ships at night, and one of these was caught in a trap 
set under the Griper's bows. The uneasiness dis- 



176 POLAR REGIONS. 

played by this beautiful little animal during the 
time of his confinement, whenever he heard the 
howling of a wolf near the ships, gave rise to an 
opinion, that the latter is in the habit of hunting the 
fox as his prey. 

The rapidity with which the ice now formed 
round the ships, was so great,^ as to employ the 
people several hours every day in cutting it, and 
their utmost labor could hardly keep them clear. 
Capt. Parry, therefore, gave orders to leave off cut- 
ting it during the severity of the winter. The ave- 
rage formation, while they continued to cut it, was 
from three to five inches a day, and the mean tem- 
perature was — 12°. 

The cold increasing about the middle of the 
month, the cracking of the timbers was very frequent 
and loud for a time ; but generally ceased altogeth- 
er in an hour or two after this fall had taken place 
in the thermometer, and did not occur again at the 
same temperature during the winter. The wind 
blowing fresh from the northward, with a heavy 
snow-drift, made the ship very cold below ; so that 
the breath and other vapor accumulated during 
the night in the bed-places and upon the beams, 
and then immediately froze ; hence it often occupied 
all hands for two or three hours during the day to 
scrape the ice away, in order to prevent the bedding 
from becoming wet by the increase of temperature 
occasioned by the fires. It was therefore found 
necessary to keep some of the fires in between 
decks at night, when the thermometer was below 
—15° or — 20° in the open air, especially when the 



POLAR REGIONS. 177 

wind was high. To assist in keeping the lower 
decks warm, as well as to retard, in some slight 
degree, the formation of ice immediately in contact 
with the ships' bends, they banked the snow up 
against their sides, as high as the main-chains ; and 
canvass screens were nailed round all the hatch- 
ways on the lower deck. 

The stars of the second magnitude in Ursa Major 
were perceptible to the naked eye a little after 
noon on the 11th, and the Aurora Borealis appear- 
ed faintly in the southwest at night. 

The cold continued to increase. About the 
middle of December, a serious loss took place in 
the bursting of the bottles of lemon juice, the whole 
contents often freezing into a solid mass, except a 
small portion of highly concentrated acid in the 
centre, which in most instances leaked out, so that 
the ice remaining was little better than water. The 
loss of this valuable antiscorbutic increased to an 
alarming degree : in some boxes which were in« 
spected, two thirds of the contents were found to 
be destroyed, and the remainder rendered inefficient. 
The vinegar also froze in the same manner, and lost 
much of its acidity when thawed. A few gallons 
of very highly concentrated vinegar, congealed in- 
to a consistence like honey. 

Though it might be supposed that the time would 
have dragged heavily in such a situation and in 
such a climate, the case was in fact very different 
So fully occupied was the time of both officers and 
men, that its quick flight was matter of general re- 
mark. The manner in which the days and hours 



178 POLAR REGIONS. 

were employed during a total darkness of three 
months, may not perhaps be wholly uninteresting. 
The officers and quarter-masters were divided into 
four watches, which were regularly kept, as at sea, 
while the remainder of the ship's company were 
allowed to enjoy their night's rest undisturbed. 
The hands were turned up at a quarter before six, 
and both decks were well rubbed with stones and 
warm sand before eight o'clock, at which time, as 
usual at sea, both officers and men went to break- 
fast. Three quarters of an hour being allowed 
after breakfast for the men to prepare themselves 
for muster, they then beat to divisions punctually 
at a quarter past nine, when every person on board 
attended on the quarter-deck, and a strict inspection 
of the men took place, as to their personal cleanli- 
ness, and the good condition, as well as sufficient 
wamth, of their clothing. The reports of the of- 
ficers having been made to Capt. Parry, the people 
were then allowed to walk about, or, more usually, 
to run round the upper deck, while he went down 
to examine the state of that below. The state of 
this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted 
'the chief source of anxiety, and to have occupied 
by far the greatest share of attention at this period. 
Whenever any dampness appeared, or, what more 
frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had 
taken place during the preceding night, the necessa- 
ry means were immediately adopted for removing 
it ; in the former case, usually by rubbing the wood 
with cloths, and then directing the warm air-pipe 
towards the place ; and in the latter, by scraping off 



POLAR REGIONS. 179 

the ice, so as to prevent its wetting the deck by 
any accidental increase of temperature. In this 
respect, the bed-places were particularly trouble- 
some ; the inner partition, or that next the ship's 
side, being almost invariably covered with more or 
less dampness or ice, according to the temperature 
of the deck during the preceding night. This in- 
convenience might to a great degree have been 
avoided, by a sufficient quantity of fuel to keep up 
two good fires on the lower deck, throughout the 
twentyfour hours ; but the stock of coals would by 
no means permit this, bearing in mind the possibil- 
ity of spending a second winter within the Arctic 
circle ; and this comfort could only, therefore, be 
allowed on a few occasions, during the most severe 
part of the winter. 

In the course of Capt. Parry's examination of 
the lower deck, he had always an opportunity of 
seeing those few men who were on the sick list, 
and of receiving from Mr Edwards a report of 
their respective cases ; as also of consulting that 
gentleman as to the means of improving the warmth, 
ventilation, and general comfort of the inhabited 
parts of the ship. Having performed this duty, he 
returned to the upper deck, where he personally 
inspected the men ; after which they were sent out 
to walk on shore, when the weather would permit, 
till noon, when they returned on board to their 
dinner. When the day was too inclement for them 
to take this exercise, they were ordered to run 
round and round the deck, keeping step to the 
tune of an organ, or, not unfrequently, to a song of 



180 POLAR REGIONS. 

their own singing. Among the men were a few 
who did not at first quite like this systematic mode of 
taking exercise ; but when they found that no plea, 
except that of illness, was admitted as an excuse, 
they not only willingly and cheerfully complied, 
but made it the occasion of much humor and 
frolic among themselves. 



CHAPTER X. 

Scenery of Winter Harbour. — Optical Deception. — Employments of Offi- 
cers and Men. — Theatrical Entertainments. — Night and Day. 

The officers, who dined at two o'clock, were 
also in the habit of occupying one or two hours 
in the middle of the day in rambling on shore, even 
in the darkest period, except when a fresh wind 
and a heavy snow-drift confined them within the 
housing of the ships. It may well be imagined that 
at this period, there was but little to be met with 
in their walks on shore, which could either amuse 
or interest. The necessity of not exceeding the 
limited distance of one or two miles, lest a snow- 
drift, which often rises very suddenly, should pre- 
vent return, added considerably to the dull and 
tedious monotony which, day after day, presented it- 
self. To the southward was the sea, covered with 
one unbroken surface of ice, uniform in its dazzling 
whiteness, except that, in some parts, a few hum- 
mocks were seen thrown up somewhat above the 
general level. Nor did the land offer much great- 
er variety, being almost entirely covered with snow, 



POLAR REGIONS. 181 

except here and there a brown patch of bare ground 
in some exposed situations, where the wind had 
not allowed the snow to remain. When viewed 
from the summit of the neighbouring hills, on one 
of those calm and clear days, which not unfrequent- 
ly occurred during the winter, the scene was such 
as to induce contemplations which had, perhaps, 
more of melancholy than of any other feeling. Not 
an object was to be seen on which the eye could 
long rest with pleasure, unless when directed to 
the spot where the ships lay, and where the little 
colony was planted. The smoke which there is- 
sued from the several fires, affording a certain indi- 
cation of the presence of man, gave a partial cheer- 
fulness to this part of the prospect ; and the sound 
of voices, which, during the cold weather, could be 
heard at a much greater distance than usual, served 
now and then to break the silence which reigned 
around ; a silence far different from that peaceable 
composure which characterises the landscape of a 
cultivated country : it was the death-like stillness of 
the most dreary desolation, and the total absence 
of animated existence. Such, indeed, was the 
want of objects to afford relief to the eye or amuse- 
ment to the mind, that a stone of more than usual 
size appearing above the snow, in the direction in 
which they might be going, immediately became a 
mark, on which their eyes were unconsciously 
fixed, and towards which they mechanically ad- 
vanced. 

Dreary as such a scene must necessarily be, it 

could not, however, be said to be wholly wanting 
16 



182 POLAR REGIONS. 

in interest, especially when associated in the mind 
with the peculiarity of their situation, the object 
which had brought them hither, and the hopes which 
the least sanguine among them sometimes enter- 
tained, of spending a part of the next winter in the 
more genial climate of the South-Sea Islands. Per- 
haps, too, though none then ventured to confess it, 
their thoughts would sometimes involuntarily wander 
homewards, and institute a comparison between 
the rugged face of nature in this desolate region, 
and the livelier aspect of the happy land which they 
had left behind. 

They had frequent occasion, in their walks on 
shore, to mark the deception which takes place in 
estimating the distance and magnitude of objects, 
when viewed over an unvaried surface of snow. 
It was not uncommon for them to direct their steps 
towards what they took to be a large mass of 
stone, at the distance of half a mile, but which 
they were able to take up in their hands after one 
minute's walk. This was more particularly the 
case, when ascending the brow of a hill ; nor did 
they find that the deception became less, on account 
of the frequency with which they experienced its 
effects. 

In the afternoon, the men were usually occupied 
in drawing and knotting yarns, and in making points 
and gaskets ; a never-failing resource, where mere 
occupation is required, and which it was necessary 
to perform entirely on the lower deck, the yarns 
becoming so hard and brittle, when exposed on 
deck to the temperature of the atmosphere, as to 



POLAR REGIONS. 183 

be too stiff for working, and very easily broken. 
We may in this place remark that the lower rigging 
became extremely slack during the severity of the 
winter, and gradually tightened again as the spring 
returned ; effects the very reverse of those which 
had been anticipated, and which can only be ac- 
counted for by the extreme dryness of the atmos- 
phere in the middle of winter, and the subsequent 
increase of moisture. 

At half past five in the evening, the decks were 
cleared up, and at six they again beat to divisions, 
when the same examination of the men and of their 
births and bed-places took place as in the morning ; 
the people then went to their supper, and the of- 
ficers to tea. After this time the men were permit- 
ted to amuse themselves as they pleased, and games 
of various kinds, as well as dancing and singing 
occasionally, went on upon the lower deck till nine 
o'clock, when they went to bed, and their lights 
were extinguished. In order to guard against ac- 
cidents by fire, where so many fires and lights were 
necessarily in use, the quarter-masters visited the 
lower deck every half hour during the night, and 
made their report to the officers of the watches 
that all was, in this respect, safe below ; and to se- 
cure a ready supply of water in case of fire, a hole 
was cut twice a day in the ice, close alongside each 
ship. It is scarcely necessary to add, that the 
evening occupations of the officers were of a more 
rational kind than those which engaged the atten- 
tion of the men. Of these, reading and writing 
were the principal employments, to which were 



184 POLAR REGIONS. 

occasionally added a game of chess, or a tune on 
the flute or violin, till half-past ten, about which 
time they all retired to rest. 

Such were the employments which usually occu- 
pied them for six days in the week, with such ex- 
ceptions only as circumstances at the time suggest- 
ed. On Sundays, divine service was invariably per- 
formed, and a sermon was read on board both ships ; 
the prayer appointed to be daily used at sea, being 
altered, so as to adapt it to the service in which 
they were engaged, the success which had hitherto 
attended their efforts, and the peculiar circumstan- 
ces under which they were placed. The attention 
paid by the men to the observance of their religious 
duties, was such as to reflect upon them the highest 
credit, and tended in no small degree to the preser- 
vation of that regularity and good conduct, for 
which, with very few exceptions, they were invari- 
ably distinguished. 

Theatrical entertainments took place regularly 
once a fortnight, and continued to prove a source 
of infinite amusement to the men. The stock of 
plays was so scanty, consisting only of one or two 
volumes, which happened accidentally to be on 
board, that it was with difficulty they could find 
the means of varying the performances sufficiently. 
The writers, therefore, set to work, and produced, 
as a Christmas piece, a musical entertainment, ex- 
pressly adapted to the audience, and having such a 
reference to the service on which they were en- 
gaged, and the success they had so far experienced, 
as at once to afford a high degree of present recrea- 



POLAR REGIONS. 185 

tion, and to stimulate, if possible, the sanguine hopes 
which were entertained by all on board, of the com- 
plete accomplishment of the enterprise. They 
were at one time apprehensive, that the severity of 
the weather would have prevented the continuance 
of this amusement, but the perseverance of the of- 
ficers overcame every difficulty ; and, perhaps, for 
the first time since theatrical entertainments were 
devised, more than one or two plays were per- 
formed, with the thermometer below zero on the 
stage, on board the Hecla. 

The North Georgia Gazette, which we have al- 
ready mentioned, was a source of great amusement, 
not only to the contributors, but to those who, from 
diffidence of their own talents, or other reasons, 
could not be prevailed on to add their mite to the 
little stock of literary composition, which was week- 
ly demanded; for those who declined to write 
were not unwilling to read, and more ready to 
criticise than those who wielded the pen ; but it 
was that good-humored sort of criticism that could 
not give offence. The subjects handled in this 
paper were, of course, various, but generally appli- 
cable to their own situation. Of its merits or de- 
fects it will not be necessary to say anything here. 
The officers, who were chiefly concerned in carrying 
it on, agreed to print it for the entertainment of 
their friends ; the publisher being at liberty, after 
supplying each with a certain number of copies, to 
dispose of the rest. 

The return of each successive day had been 

always very decidedly marked by a considerable 
16* 



186 POLAR REGIONS. 

twilight for some time about noon ; that on the short- 
est day being sufficient to enable them to walk out 
very comfortably for nearly two hours. There was, 
usually, in clear weather, a beautiful arch of bright 
red light, overspreading the southern horizon for 
an hour or two before and after noon ; the light in- 
creasing, of course, in strength, as the sun ap- 
proached the meridian. Short as the day now was, 
if indeed any part of the twentyfour hours could 
properly be called by that name, the reflection of 
light from the snow, aided occasionally by a bright 
moon, was at all times sufficient to prevent expe- 
riencing, even under the most unfavorable cir- . 
cumstances, anything like the gloomy night which 
occurs in more temperate climates. Especial care 
was taken, during the time the sun was below the 
horizon, to preserve the strictest regularity in the 
time of meals, and in the various occupations which 
engaged the men's attention during the day; and this, 
together with the gradual and imperceptible manner 
in which the days had shortened, prevented this 
kind of life, so novel in reality, from appearing very 
inconvenient, or indeed like anything out of the 
common way. They were not sorry, however, to 
have arrived without any serious suffering, at the 
shortest day; and they watched with no ordinary 
degree of pleasure, the slow approach of the re- 
turning sum 



POLAR REGIONS. 187 



CHAPTER XI. 

Christmas. — Scurvy breaks out on board the Hecla. — Extreme Cold. — The 
Sun seen. — Conflagration on Shore. — Extraordinary Accumulation of 
Vapor. — Sudden Change of Weather. 

On Christmas-day the weather was raw and cold, 
with a considerable snow-drift, though the wind was 
only moderate from the N. W. ; but the snow which 
falls during the severe winter of this climate is com- 
posed of spiculae so extremely minute, that it re- 
quires very little wind to raise and carry it along. 
To mark the day in the best manner which circum- 
stances would permit, divine service was performed 
on board the ships ; and Capt. Parry directed a 
small increase in the men's usual proportion of 
fresh meat as a Christmas-dinner, as well as an ad- 
ditional allowance of grog, to drink the health of 
their friends in England. The officers also met at 
a social and friendly dinner, and the day passed 
with much of the same kind of festivity by which it 
is usually distinguished at home ; and, to the credit 
of the men be it spoken, without any of that dis- 
order by which it is too often observed by seamen. 
A piece of English roast-beef, which formed part 
of the officers' dinner, had been on board since the 
preceding May, and preserved without salt during 
that period, merely by the antiseptic properties of 
a cold atmosphere. 

A great many frost-bites occurred about this time 
[Dec. 30] , principally in the men's feet, even when 



188 POLAR REGIONS. 

they had been walking quickly on shore for exer- 
cise. On examining their boots, Mr Edwards re- 
marked, that the stiffness of the thick leather, of 
which they were made, was such as to cramp the 
feet, and prevent the circulation from going on 
freely, and that this alone was sufficient to account 
for their feet having been frost-bitten. Being very 
desirous of avoiding these accidents, which, from 
the increased sluggishness with which the sores 
healed, were more and more likely to affect the 
general health of the patients by long confinement, 
Capt. Parry directed a pair of canvass boots, lined 
with blanketing, or some other woollen stuff, to be 
made for each man, using raw hide as soles ; this 
completely answered the desired purpose, as scarce- 
ly any frost-bites in the feet afterwards occurred, 
except under circumstances of very severe exposure. 

The preceding accounts of the manner in which 
the time was employed, and of the occupations 
of the ships' companies, are taken, at length, from 
the journal of Capt. Parry, and given almost in his 
own words. We deem it unnecessary to make any 
addition. If what has been related does not confer 
honor on officers and men, and prove them emi- 
nently qualified for the service they had under- 
taken, we have formed a very erroneous judgment. 

On the first of January scurvy made its appear- 
ance among them. Mr Scallon, gunner of the Hecla, 
had complained for some days, and the symptoms 
were now decidedly scorbutic. It was found to 
be owing to the dampness of his bedding, and 
proper measures were taken to prevent an in- 
crease of the malady. By raising mustard and 



POLAR REGIONS. 189 

cress in small boxes near the cabin stove, they 
were able to give Mr Scallon and one or two more 
patients nearly an ounce of salad per day. The 
vegetables thus raised were necessarily colorless 
from the privation of light ; but they had the same 
taste as if raised in ordinary circumstances. So 
effectual were they in the case of Mr Scallon, that 
he recovered in less than a fortnight. 

On the morning of the 7th of January the ther- 
mometer fell to — 40°, and at noon the mercury 
sunk to — 49°. Nevertheless, the weather being quite 
calm, the people walked on shore for an hour with- 
out suffering any inconvenience, the sensation of 
cold depending more on the wind than the tempe- 
rature. Our own observations go to confirm those 
of Capt. Parry in this particular. We have seen 
persons, properly clothed, go abroad while the 
thermometer was at upwards of 30° below zero, 
without feeling pain, or any disagreeable sensation. 
A wind, though the temperature may be fifty de- 
grees higher, is ten-fold more inconvenient and 
dangerous. We have experienced in our own per- 
son, as well as observed in others, that the animal 
heat is always sufficient to resist any natural degree 
of cold, while the weather is calm. 

Toward the end of the month they began to look 
out for the sun from the mast head. On the morn- 
ing of the third of February, the weather being 
clear, a cross, consisting of the usual vertical and 
horizontal rays, was seen about the moon. At 
twenty minutes before noon, the sun was seen from 
the Hecla's maintop, at the height of fiftyone feet 



190 POLAR REGIONS. 

above the sea, being the first time it had been seen 
for eightyfour days, twelve days less than its actual 
stay below the horizon. There was now, from 
eight o'clock till four, sufficient light for any kind of 
work, and on the seventh they began to collect bal- 
last for the Hecla, to make up for the expenditure 
of stores. 

The coldest part of the year was now approach- 
ing ; yet the sun had sufficient power to affect the 
thermometer, which rose from — 40° to — 35° when 
exposed to its rays. The distance at which sounds 
were heard in the open air during the continuance 
of this intense cold was truly surprising. Conver- 
sation carried on a mile off could be distinctly 
heard. The smoke from the ships, too, owing to the 
difficulty it has to rise in a low temperature, was 
carried horizontally to a great distance. On the 
15th, the mercury sunk to 55° below zero, which 
was the most intense degree of cold observed dur- 
ing the winter. Mercury was malleable in this state 
of the atmosphere. 

At half past ten, A. M. on the twentyfourth, the 
house on shore was discovered to be on fire. The 
flames were extinguished by the men in a few 
minutes, but at the expense of having their cheeks 
and noses frost-bitten, so that sixteen were added to 
the sick list. One of them, from holding a com- 
pass he had saved in his bare hands, froze them 
so badly that it was necessary to amputate four 
fingers from one, and three from the other. Nor 
did the weather permit them to dig out the things 
which had been buried in the ruins of the house 



POLAR REGIONS. 191 

till the first of March. On this day it had so far 
moderated as to allow them to enjoy a walk on the 
hills, and on the 6th the thermometer rose to zero, 
a higher temperature than any that had been regis- 
tered since the 17th of December. On the seventh 
a quantity of snow, placed in a very favorable 
situation, thawed, and the people took advantage of 
the change to rebuild the house on shore. 

The severe weather hact kept all the vapor, which 
had accumulated and frozen to the ship's sides, 
below deck in a solid state, till now. But the mild- 
ness of the weather having caused a thaw below, 
it became necessary to scrape off the coating of 
ice. In one day, incredible though it may seem, 
no less than a hundred buckets full were removed, 
each containing from five to six gallons ; the accu- 
mulation of less than four weeks ! It may be ob- 
served that this vapor was produced, principally by 
the men's breaths, and by the steam of their food 
during meals, that from the coppers being effectu- 
ally carried on deck by the apparatus provided for 
that purpose. 

From this time the temperature gradually rose. 
The last use of the theatre was made by performing 
The Mayor of Garratt, and a part of the ship's 
roofings was removed to admit the light. On the 
20th, two gulls were seen, and on the twentythird, 
by digging a hole in the centre of the harbour, it 
was found that the ice had acquired a thickness of 
six feet and an half during the winter. It was hard 
and brittle till within a foot of the lower surface, 
where it was soft and spongy. The length of the 



192 POLAR REGIONS. 

days had so much increased by the twentysixth, 
that a very sensible twilight was visible in the north, 
and the weather was now warm enough to allow 
wet silk to dry on deck. 

For the last three or four days of April, the snow 
on the black cloth of the housing had begun to 
thaw a little during a few hours in the middle of 
the day, and on the 30th so rapid a change took 
place in the temperature of the atmosphere, that 
the thermometer stood at the freezing, or, as it 
may more properly be termed in this climate, the 
thawing point, being the first time that such an 
event had occurred for nearly eight months, or 
since the 9th of the preceding September. This 
temperature was so much like that of summer, that 
Capt. Parry was under the necessity of using his 
authority to prevent the men from making such an 
alteration in their clothing as might have been at- 
tended with very dangerous consequences. The 
thermometer had ranged from — 32° to + 32° in the 
course of twenty days. There was, at this period, 
more snow upon the ground than at any other time 
of the year, the average depth on the lower part of 
the land being four or five inches, but much less 
upon the hills ; while in the ravines a very large 
quantity had been collected. The snow at this 
time became so soft, from the influence of the sun 
upon it, as to make walking very laborious' and un- 
pleasant. 

This rapid change in the weather revived their 
hopes of a speedy departure from Melville Island, 
and they all had sanguine expectations of leaving 
their winter-quarters before July. 



POLAR REGIONS. 193 



CHAPTER XII. 

Return of the Migratory Animals to Melville Island. — Snow Blindness. — 
The Hecla freed from the Ice. — Gardening. — Journey to explore Mel- 
ville Island. 

On the 1st of May, however, it blew a gale from 
the northward, and the sun was seen at midnight 
for the first time that season. The storm con- 
tinued all the next day, and the snow fell so deep 
as to bury the house on shore completely. On the 
6th, the people began the operation of cutting the 
ships out of the harbor. In order to prevent the 
men from suffering from wet and cold feet, a pair 
of boots and stockings were given to each, being 
part of a complete suit which had been supplied, to 
be issued to the ships' companies gratis, should oc- 
casion require. And as the expedition had been 
victualled for two years only, one of which had 
now expired, Capt. Parry thought it proper to re- 
duce the daily rations to two thirds of the estab- 
lished proportion, to which reduction both officers 
and men cheerfully submitted. 

On the 12th, one of the men reported that he 
had seen a ptarmigan, which was hailed as a sure 
omen of returning summer. The next day one 
was killed ; and, in a day or two more, the tracks of 
reindeer and musk-oxen were discovered ; indi- 
cating that these animals had commenced their 
journey to the north. The time of their return to 
17 



194 POLAR REGIONS. 

Melville Island was thus ascertained, and it was 
suggested that the time of their migration had oc- 
curred with the first fine weather after the com- 
mencement of constant day-light. As it was im- 
portant that all the game they might procure should 
be served out in lieu of the ordinary stores, it 
was ordered that all game killed should be public 
property, and as such should be issued like any 
other provision. 

Some of the men were now afflicted with a dis- 
ease common in all the northern desert parts of 
America. This is a painful inflammation of the 
eyes, supposed to be occasioned by the reflection of 
intense light from the snow, aided by the heat of the 
sun. The sensation resembles that of sand in the 
eyes, and we have seen it in some instances result in 
a total and permanent loss of sight. As a preven- 
tive of this complaint, a piece of black crape, to be 
worn as a veil, was given to each man, and was 
found to be very serviceable. This fashion is in 
vogue all over the northwest. 

On the 17th, the operation of cutting the ice 
round the Hecla was completed, in the following 
manner : the ice alongside the ships was found to 
be six feet thick, and they began by digging a large 
hole under the stern in order to enter the saw. This 
occupied two days, as few could work at it at once ; 
but in the mean time all the snow and rubbish was 
cleared away from the ship's side, leaving only the 
solid ice to work upon. A trench, two feet wide, 
was cut the whole length of the starboard side, 
from the stem to the rudder, keeping within an \v,ch 



POLAR REGIONS. 195 

or two of the bends, and taking care here and there 
to leave a dike, to prevent the water which might 
ooze into one part from filling up the others in 
which the men were working. In this manner was 
the trench cut with axes, to the depth of about 
four feet and a half, leaving only eighteen inches 
for the saws to cut, except in those places where 
the dikes remained. The saw, being then entered 
in the hole under the stern, was worked in the 
usual manner, being suspended by a triangle made 
of three spars ; one cut being made on the outer 
part of the trench, and a second within an inch or 
two of the bends, in order to avoid injuring the 
planks. A small portion of ice being broken off 
now and then by bars, handspikes, and ice-chisels, 
floated to the surface, and was hooked out by 
piecemeal. This operation was a cold and tedious 
one, and required nine days to complete it. When 
the workmen had this morning completed the trench 
within ten or twelve feet of the stern, the ship sud- 
denly disengaged herself from the ice, to which 
she had before been firmly adhering on the larboard 
side, and rose in the water about ten inches abaft, 
and nearly eighteen inches forward, with a con- 
siderable surge. This disengagement, to which 
the sailors naturally applied the term 'launching,* 
confirmed the supposition, that the ship was held so 
fast by the ice, as to make it dangerous to alter 
materially the stowage of the holds, but in a man- 
ner the very reverse of what had been appre- 
hended. This circumstance, however, on consid- 
eration, it was not difficult to explain. In the 



196 POLAR REGIONS. 

course of the winter, the strong eddy winds about 
the ships had formed round them a drift of snow, 
seven or eight feet deep in some parts, and, per- 
haps, weighing a hundred tons ; by which the ice, 
and the ships with it, were carried down much be- 
low the natural level at which they would other- 
wise have floated. In the mean time the ships had 
become considerably lighter, from the expenditure 
of several months' provisions ; so that, on both 
these accounts, they had naturally a tendency to 
rise in the water as soon as they were set at lib- 
erty. 

The ships being once more afloat, a strict sur- 
vey was held on all the provisions and stores, and the 
lading was properly adjusted. In the mean time 
a party were engaged in breaking stones for bal- 
last, and the other necessary works went on with 
great activity. It was found requisite to caulk the 
upper works of both ships, the frost having opened 
the seams very much. At the same time, Gapt. 
Parry laid out a small garden, and planted it with 
antiscorbutic plants; but the attempt failed utterly, 
so that their farming was necessarily confined to 
the cabin, where mustard and cress could be rais- 
ed without difficulty. Peas, however, grew on the 
shore, big enough to have been eaten as greens, if 
they had been sowed in abundance. 

On the twentyfirst, some of the officers took a 
walk inland, and were able to fill a pint bottle with 
water from a pool of melted snow, which was the 
first they had seen ; a proof of the extreme severi- 
ty of the climate. They also discovered roots of 



POLAR REGIONS. 197 

wild sorrel growing in plenty ; but it had not yet 
begun to vegetate. 

On the 24th, the clouds seemed to bode rain, and 
in the evening several showers fell, making numerous 
little pools upon the ice, which now remained un- 
frozen twelve or fourteen hours every day, as did 
also the sea water round the ships. Gulls too were 
seen. 

Thinking, very justly, that an examination of 
the interior of the island would be conducive to 
the improvement of the geography and natural his- 
tory of these regions, and the health of the seamen 
allowing a number to be spared from each ship, 
Capt. Parry determined on an excursion. A cart 
was constructed to convey the tents and baggage, 
which answered the purpose very well ; and on the 
first of June the Captain set off with a party of 
twelve volunteers, and a supply of provisions for 
three weeks. They were furnished with two tents 
and a small quantity of fuel for the purpose of 
cookery, and each carried a blanket and a few spare 
articles of clothing. 

The course of the party was directly north. 
They found those parts where the snow had disap- 
peared more productive than the vicinity of Winter 
Harbour ; the dwarf willow, sorrel and poppy being 
more abundant, and the moss more luxuriant. Af- 
ter proceeding some miles inland, they came to an 
extensive plain, covered with snow, and terminated 
by a chain of lofty hills. This plain they judged 
to be three or four hundred feet above the level of 
the sea. They travelled slowly northward for six 
17* 



198 POLAR REGIONS. 

days, before they reached the north shore of the 
island. They found the earth covered with snow 
quite across, excepting in a few exposed spots, and 
the only animals they saw were reindeer. 

From the northern coast a high island was seen, 
which was named after Captain Sabine. Having 
thus ascertained the extent of Melville Island, the 
party directed their course westward. As they 
proceeded alongshore in this direction, they found 
the soil richer, and vegetation more abundant. 
Many species of birds w r ere seen, and musk-oxen 
w T ere observed, as well as reindeer. The tracks of 
mice, hares, wolves, and foxes were abundant, and 
the sites of six Esquimaux tents were also discov- 
ered. They consisted of rude circles of stones, of 
all sizes and shapes, raised two feet from the 
ground : they were paved with large slabs of sand- 
stone, which is very abundant on Melville Island. 
They appeared not to have been occupied for 
several years, for a thick coat of moss had grown 
upon the stones. In each of the huts was a sepa- 
rate compartment, forming a recess projecting out- 
ward ; and at a few feet from one of them was a 
smaller circle of stones, which had probably been 
a fire-place ; for the marks of fire were distinctly 
visible. The huts that Capt. Parry had previously 
seen, in this and the former voyage, had each one 
of these small circles attached. Thus it would 
seem that no part of the northern regions is too 
cold and inhospitable to preclude the visits of the 
Esquimaux, though it may be doubted whether 
they ever abide permanently on Melville Island or 
the surrounding lands. 



POLAR REGIONS. 199 

On the 14th, the party reached Winter Harbour. 
The results of the expedition were, that the extent 
and geographical features of this island were ascer- 
tained, as well as its capacity to sustain animal and 
vegetable life. Several bays and capes were also 
discovered, to which names were given, as usual. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Progress of the Season. — State of the Ice. — Damage received by the Rud- 
ders of the Ships. 

The equipment of the ships had gone on satisfac- 
torily during Capt. Parry's absence — both vessels 
being nearly ready for sea. The survey of the 
provisions and stores was completed, and the whole 
were found in as good order as when they left 
England, with the exception only of a small quan- 
tity of bread and sugar, which was not, however, so 
far damaged as to be unfit to be eaten. This high 
state of preservation must undoubtedly be attri- 
buted to the antiseptic qualities of a cold climate, 
which is unfavorable to the process of putrefac- 
tion, and to the generation of vermin, — and to the 
care which had been taken to supply the ships with 
articles of the best quality, packed in the best pos- 
sible manner. As to vermin, neither mouse, rat, or 
maggot, was seen on board during the voyage. 

A perceptible change had now taken place in 
the ice. The upper surface was covered with in- 



200 POLAR REGIONS. 

numerable pools of brackish water, so that the lib- 
eration of the sea might be daily expected. Being 
desirous of obtaining as much game as possible 
during the remainder of the time that must be 
passed in Winter Harbour, Capt. Parry sent out 
hunting parties to remain ten or twelve miles inland, 
with orders to send whatever game they might pro- 
cure to the ships, and also to observe the ice from 
th? hill tops, and report any change that might take 
place. Sorrel being now far enough advanced 
to be eaten, two afternoons in each week were 
ordered to be set apart for the purpose of collect- 
ing it, and each man was required to bring in one 
ounce, to be served out in lieu of lemon juice, 
pickles, &c. From this time the growth of the 
sorrel was so rapid that a man could easily pick 
nearly a pound of this valuable antiscorbutic, of 
which all were very fond. The leaves were eaten 
in various ways, such as pickles, salad — in puddings, 
or boiled in the manner of greens ; in all of which 
modes it was always used, when it could be pro- 
cured. 

On the eighteenth, the first reindeer killed this 
season was brought in, and a second followed on 
the 19th. They were very lean, not more than 
sixty pounds of flesh being found on either of them. 
By the 20th the land in the neighbourhood of the 
ships was covered with the purple flow T ers of the 
saxifraga oppositifolia. The ravines, with which 
the surface of the whole island is intersected, w T ere 
now discharging torrents of melted snow into the 
sea ; but still the ice held on. 



POLAR REGIONS. 201 

The suddenness of the changes of the climate 
was strikingly exemplified by this circumstance ; for 
not more than a fortnight before they had been un- 
der the necessity of thawing the snow when they 
wanted water to drink. 

Aquatic fowls made their appearance, and more- 
reindeer were killed. The horns of the males were 
in the velvet, that is, covered with a soft, downy 
skin. The horns themselves were soft, and near 
the tips flexible and easily broken. Foxes also 
were seen, and the bones of whales were found on 
shore at a considerable distance from the sea, whith- 
er they had probably been carried by the Esqui- 
maux. The dissolution of the ice continued daily, 
and on the 22d, it was observed to be in motion 
in the offing, setting to the eastward at the rate of 
a mile an hour. 

On the 27th, one of the men, by name Scott, who 
had long been afflicted with scurvy, died. A post 
mortem examination proved his disease to have 
been such as would have baffled the utmost skill 
and attention, in any climate, or under any circum- 
stances. For the last two or three days, the spring- 
tides, which had been unusually high, overflowed 
the ice near the beach, so as to make it difficult to 
land near high water. In the general appearance 
of the ice in the harbour, there was no perceptible 
alteration from day to day, though the thawing pro- 
cess was going on with great rapidity. The officer 
in command of the hunting party to the southwest, 
received strict injunctions to watch the ice con- 
stantly, and to make an immediate report of any 



202 POLAR REGIONS. 

appearance of open water in any direction. For 
the last four or five days in June, they had experi- 
enced more southerly wind than usual, the weather 
being generally cloudy, with much small rain, and 
now and then a little snow ; the general temperature 
of the atmosphere, however, was pleasant and com- 
fortable to the feelings, as well as favorable to the 
dissolution of the ice, for which they were so anx- 
iously looking. 

One of Mr Nias's party arrived from the eastward 
on the morning of the 1st of July, with a good sup- 
ply of hares, ducks, and ptarmigans. He had seen 
above fifty deer in three days, but they were too 
wild to allow the party to get near them, in a coun- 
try without the smallest cover of any kind. 

A herd of fourteen deer being seen near the 
ships, a party was despatched in pursuit of them, 
with the customary want of success, it being almost 
impossible to approach them in so open and ex- 
posed a country, so that these excursions generally 
ended in a chase between the men and the deer ; 
some good dogs would, perhaps, have been service- 
able on these occasions. 

Having taken on board the bower anchors and 
cables from the beach, on account of the difficulty 
they should have found in removing them after the 
ice began to break up, each ship placed two stream 

(anchors on shore with hawsers from the bow and 
quarter, to hold them in case of any sudden motion 
of the ice, the pools upon which now increased very 
perceptibly both in depth and extent from day to 
day. In looking into these pools, it always ap- 



POLAR REGIONS. 203 

peared, during the day, as if drops of rain were 
falling into them ; this was caused by the continual 
extrication of air from the ice which was thawing 
below, and by the rising of the bubbles to the sur- 
face. At six, P. M. the atmosphere being clear and 
serene, the thermometer rose to 53° in the shade, 
but immediately on a moderate breeze springing 
up from the northward it fell to 45°. On the 5th 
and 6th, however, it stood for three hours from 50° 
to 52°, with a fresh breeze from the northward, 
accompanied by cloudy weather ; and on the after- 
noons of the two following days, the wind being still 
northerly, the atmosphere continued for some time 
at the temperature of 55°. 

The dissolution of the ice of the harbour went 
on so rapidly in the early part of July, that they 
were greatly surprised, on the 6th, in finding, that 
in several of the pools of water, on its upper sur- 
face, holes were washed quite through to the sea 
beneath. On examining several of these, it was 
found that the average thickness of the ice, in the 
upper part of the harbour, where the ships were 
lying, did not exceed two feet, which was much 
less than they had any idea of. Towards the mouth 
of the harbour, however, where the water was deeper, 
no such holes made their appearance for some days 
after this. It must here be remarked, that in all 
cases they found the ice to be first thawed and 
broken up in the shoalest water, in consequence, 
perhaps, of the greater facility with which the 
ground, at a small depth below the surface of the 
sea, absorbed and radiated the heat of the sun's 



204 POLAR REGIONS. 

rays ; and, as it is in such situations that water 
generally freezes first, this circumstance seems a 
remarkable instance of the provision of nature for 
maintaining such a balance in the quantity of ice 
annually formed and dissolved, as shall prevent any 
undue or extraordinary accumulation of it in any 
part of the polar regions of the earth. In con- 
sequence of this circumstance, they were now en- 
abled, for the first time, to bring the boats down to 
the beach, so as to allow them to float at high 
water, in order to prevent their being split by the 
sun, while in every other part of the harbour, ex- 
cept thus near the shore, they had not the means 
of doing so till some days afterwards. 

On unhanging the rudders, and hauling them up 
on the ice for examination, they were found a good 
deal shaken and grazed by the blows they had re- 
ceived during the time the ships were beset at the 
entrance of Davis' Strait. It was found, also, that 
the rudder-cases in both ships had been fitted too 
small, occasioning considerable difficulty in getting 
the rudders down when working — a circumstance 
by no means disadvantageous, (perhaps, indeed, 
rather the contrary,) on ordinary service at sea, 
but which should be carefully avoided in ships in- 
tended for the navigation among ice, as it is fre- 
quently necessary to unship the rudder at a short 
notice, in order to preserve it from injury, as future 
experience was soon to teach them. This fault 
was, however, soon remedied, and the rudders 
again hung, in readiness for sea. About this time, 
a few flocks of loons occasionally made their ap- 



POLAR REGIONS. 205 

pearance, invariably flying quite round the harbour, 
exactly over the narrow and only strip of water 
next the beach, as if looking out for food. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

A Boat passes between the Ships and the Shore. — Maximum Heat at Mel- 
ville Island. — The Vessels are made ready for Departure. — They 
weigh Anchor. — Departure from Winter Harbour. — Are stopped by the 
Ice. — Description of a Part of the Shore. 

Ojnt the 14th of the month, a boat passed, for the first 
time, between the ships and the shore, in consequence 
of the junction of a number of the pools and holes 
in the ice ; and on the following day the same kind 
of communication was practicable between the 
ships. It became necessary, therefore, to provide 
against the possibility of the ships being forced on 
shore by the total disruption of the ice between 
them and the beach, and the pressure of that with- 
out, by letting go a bower-anchor underfoot, which 
was. accordingly done as soon as there was a hole 
in the ice under the bows of each, sufficiently large 
to allow the anchors to pass through. They had 
now been quite ready for sea for some days ; and 
a regular and anxious look-out was kept from the 
crow's nest for any alteration in the state of the ice 5 
which might favor a departure from Winter Harbour, 
in which it now became more than probable that 
they were destined to be detained thus inactive 
for a part of each month in the whole year, as 
18 



206 POLAR REGIONS. 

they had reached it in the latter part of September, 
and were likely to be prevented from leaving it till 
after the commencement of August. 

From six, A.M. till six, P.M. on the 17th, the 
thermometer stood generally from 55° to 60°; the 
latter temperature being the highest which appears 
in the Hecla's Meteorological Journal during this 
summer. It will readily be conceived how pleasant 
such a temperature must have been to their feelings 
after the severe winter which immediately preceded 
it. The month of July is, indeed, the only one 
which can be called at all comfortable in the cli- 
mate of Melville Island. 

On the eighteenth, Capt. Parry rowed round the 
harbour in a boat, and took the soundings wherever 
the ice would permit. The channel was daily be- 
coming wider, especially after a breeze from any 
quarter, causing a ripple on the sea, by which the 
edge of the ice was rapidly washed away. On the 
20th, a strong breeze from the N. N. E. together 
with a fog and rain, all favorable to the dispersion 
of the ice, removed that part of it immediately 
round the Hecla from which she had been artifi- 
cially detached so long before, so that the ship was 
once more riding at anchor. The Griper had pre- 
viously been set free in the same manner. Yet 
the ice still occupied the whole centre of the har- 
bour, and it was only where the ships were lying 
that it had separated at so great a distance from 
the shore ; occasioned, probably, by the radiation 
of heat from the vessel and from the various arti- 
cles which had been deposited upon the ice around 
them. 



POLAR REGIONS. 207 

Thus they continued for some days longer. The 
ice in the harbour became detached from the shore 
at every point, but a quantity forced up upon a reef 
to the south, by the pressure of the external ice, 
proved that it had some room in which to acquire 
motion. On the 24th, Capt. Parry ordered the 
sails to be bent, in readiness to start at a moment's 
warning ; rather with a view to encourage the men, 
than with any prospect of departure ; for it could 
not be concealed that in eight or nine weeks more, 
the navigable season would arrive at its conclu- 
sion. 

On the morning of the 26th, there being a space 
of clear water for three quarters of a mile to the 
southward, they took advantage of a northern breeze 
to run as far as the opening would permit, and then 
dropped anchor at the edge of the ice, intending to 
advance step by step as it separated. The ice 
across the entrance of the harbour in this spot, as 
well as that in the offing, appeared from the crow's 
nest quite continuous and unbroken, with the same 
appearance of solidity as at midwinter. 

On the 30th, the whole body of the ice was in 
motion toward the southeast, breaking away, for 
the first time, from the points at the entrance of the 
harbour. This rendering it probable that the ships 
would soon be released, Capt. Parry furnished 
Lieut. Liddon with instructions for his guidance 
during the coming season of operations, and ap- 
pointed places of rendezvous in case of separa- 
tion. 

On the first of August, the harbour was clear of 



208 POLAR REGIONS. 

ice, and there appeared to be water in the direc- 
tion of their intended course. At one, P. M. every- 
thing having been brought on board, they weighed 
anchor and ran out of Winter Harbour, in which 
they had passed ten entire months of the year, and 
a part of the two remaining ones, September and 
August. 

In running along at the distance of half a mile 
from the land, they were pleased to see that the 
coast to the westward was more clear of ice than 
it had been when they arrived the preceding year, 
a month later ; the main ice being blown away by 
the late winds to the distance of four or five miles 
from the shore. The navigable channel between 
the ice and the land was from one to two and a 
half miles wide, and seemed from the mast head to 
continue as far as the eye could reach to the west- 
ward. 

After a few tacks, they had the mortification to 
perceive that the Griper sailed much worse than 
before, though great pains had i)een taken during 
her re-equipment to improve her qualities. By 
midnight the Hecla had gained eight miles to wind- 
ward of her, and was obliged to heave to, to avoid 
parting company. 

A southerly wind springing up the next day, 
made it probable that the ice would close in upon 
the ships, and they therefore began to look out for 
a situation where they might be secured in-shore, 
behind some of the heavy grounded ice. At one 
o'clock they perceived that a heavy floe had al- 
ready closed completely in with the land at a point 



POLAR REGIONS. 209 

a little to the westward of them. A proper place 
having been found for their purpose, the ships 
were hauled in and secured, the Griper's bow rest- 
ing on the beach, in order to allow the Hecla to lie 
in security without her. This place was so com- 
pletely sheltered from the accession of the main ice, 
that Capt. Parry began to think of taking the Gri- 
per's crew on board the Hecla, and pursuing the 
voyage in that ship alone. 

Shortly after anchoring, the Griper's people heard 
the growling of a bear among the ice near them, 
but the animal did not appear. This was the only 
instance of meeting with a bear during their stay at 
Melville Island, excepting the one that followed a 
man to the ships, immediately after their arrival, as 
before mentioned. 

No alteration in the position of the ice took place 
on the 3d, but at one, A. M. on the 4th, the loose 
ice drifted in upon them, the wind having veeretZ to 
the north. Soon after, a floe, of not less than five 
miles in length, and a mile and a half across, was 
found to be approaching the shore, at a quick rate. 
The ships were immediately hauled as near the 
shore as possible, and preparation made for un- 
shipping the rudders, if necessary. The floe was 
brought up, however, by the masses of ice aground 
outside, with which it successively came in contact, 
and the ships remained in perfect security; the 
floe, as usual after the first violence is over, moved 
off again to a little distance from the shore. The 
meridian altitude of the sun gave the latitude of 
18* 



210 POLAR REGIONS. 

this station 74° 36' 06", and the longitude, by the 
chronometers, was 111° 16' 39". 

At noon, the heavy floe at the point near the 
ships began to quit the land, and at half-past one, 
P. M., there being a narrow passage between them, 
the breadth of which the breeze was constantly in- 
creasing, they cast off and stretched to the west- 
ward. The channel, which opened as they pro- 
ceeded, varied in its general breadth from one to 
two miles ; in some places it was not more than 
half a mile. The soundings were very regular, and 
sufficiently deep close to the shore ; in one place 
they found twentythree fathoms at one hundred 
yards from the beach, in another, fourteen, at sixty 
or seventy yards. At seven, P. M., they passed the 
place were they had been detained so long the 
preceding September, and where a party had been 
lost. The wind was variable, but they made con- 
siderable progress along the land to the southwest. 
At eleven, P. M., they had got just far enough to 
see that there was a free and open channel beyond 
the westernmost visible point of Melville Island, 
when the wind fell, andprevented them from taking 
advantage of it. 

They had this evening occasion to observe once 
more that darkness in the horizon to the southward, 
which had been noticed from this station in 1819, 
and more frequently since that time, during their 
detention in Winter Harbour, as bearing a great re- 
semblance to the loom of land in that quarter. They 
were the more inclined to the belief that there was 
land at no very great distance to the southward, 



POLAR REGIONS. 211 

from the conviction that there must be something 
which prevented the ice being drifted off the shore 
of Melville Island, more than five or six miles, with 
any direction or force of wind. 

At one, P. M., the weather continuing quite calm, 
and being desirous of examining the ice in-shore, 
that they might be ready for the floes closing upon 
them, Capt. Parry left the ship, accompanied by 
Captain Sabine and Mr. Edwards, and landed near 
one of the numerous deep and broad ravines, with 
which the whole of this part of the island is in- 
dented. All the ice which was here fixed to the 
ground was literally upon the beach, with very 
deep water close alongside of it, and none of the 
masses projected to a sufficient distance from the 
shore to afford the smallest shelter to the ships in 
case of accidents. They saw several white hares 
here, and on this and many subsequent occa- 
sions found them frequent the sides of the high 
banks which face the south, and where there is 
usually a plentiful vegetation for them to feed upon. 
They were ascending the hill, which was found by 
trigonometrical measurement to be eight hundred 
and fortyseven feet above the level of the sea, and 
on which they found no mineral production but 
sand-stone and clay iron-stone, when a breeze sprung 
up from the eastward, bringing up the Griper, 
which had been left several miles astern. They 
only stopped, therefore, to obtain observations 
for the longitude and the variation of the mag- 
netic needle ; the former of which was 112° 58' 32", 
and the latter 110° 56' 11" easterly, and then imme- 



212 POLAR REGIONS. 

diatelj returned on board, and made all sail to the 
westward. After running for two hours without ob- 
struction, they were once more mortified in per- 
ceiving that the ice, in very extensive and unusually 
heavy floes, closed in with the land a little to the 
westward, and the channel of clear water between 
the ice and the land gradually diminished in breadth 
till at length it became necessary to take in the 
studding sails, and to haul to the wind, to look 
about. Capt. Parry immediately went in a boat to 
examine the grounded ice off a small point of land, 
such as always occurs in this region at the outlet 
of a ravine. He found that this point afforded the 
only possible shelter in case the ice should close, 
and therefore took the Hecla in, and secured her 
without loss of time. It was well he did so, for the 
ice was fast closing upon the shore. The Griper 
was at this time four miles astern, and Lieut. Lid- 
don was directed by signal to secure her in the 
best manner he could. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Dangerous Position of the Hecla. — Submarine Ice. — Curious Wall. — Dan- 
ger of the Griper. — A Whale seen. — Discovery of Banks's Land. — De- 
tention by the Ice. — A Musk-Ox killed. — The Ice closes on the Shore. 

At the time of making the Hecla fast, a current 
was setting to the westward, at the rate of a mile 
and a half an hour, with a strong eddy running into 
the bight where the ships lay ; at ten, P. M. it took 



POLAR REGIONS. 213 

a sudden turn, all the loose ice near, running past 
the ship out of the bight, and the floes outside be- 
ginning to set to the eastward, and towards the 
land withal. They, therefore, hauled the ship still 
more into the bight formed by the point, getting her 
into four fathoms abaft and six forward, and abreast 
a part of the beach where there was not quite so 
much heavy ice within to endanger the ship being 
crushed. This was done from a belief that, if the 
floes came in, the ship must inevitably be ' nipped,' 
and in this case it was better to be lying in six 
fathoms than nine ; besides, the masses of ice now 
inside, not being so large as the rest, might possibly 
be forced up on the shore before the ship, instead 
of offering so great a resistance as to expose her 
to all the force of the squeeze. On the whole of 
this steep coast, wherever they approached the 
shore, they found a thick stratum of blue and solid 
ice, firmly embedded in the beach, at the depth of 
from six to ten feet under the surface of the water. 
This ice has probably been the lower part of heavy 
masses forced aground by the pressure of the floes 
from without, and still adhering to the viscous mud 
of which the beach is composed, after the upper 
part has, in course of time, dissolved. Captain 
Sabine suggested, that the underground ice found 
in cold countries, might thus have been deposited. 
The land gains upon the sea, as it is called, in pro- 
cess of time, as it has certainly done here, from the 
situation in which they found drift-wood and the 
skeletons of whales ; the ice which fixes itself upon 
the beach is annually covered in part by alluvial 



214 POLAR REGIONS. 

deposit, and thus may a connected stratum of it be 
buried for ages, several feet below the surface of 
the earth. From the tops of the hills in this part 
of Melville Island a continuous line of this sub- 
marine ice could be distinctly traced for miles along 
the coast. 

In running along the shore this evening, they 
noticed near the sea what at a distance had every 
appearance of a high wall artificially built, and 
which was the resort of numerous birds. Captain 
Sabine, being desirous to examine it, as well as to 
procure some specimens of the birds, set out, as 
soon as the ship anchored, for that purpose. The 
wall proved to be composed of sand-stone in hori- 
zontal strata from twenty to thirty feet in height, 
which had been left standing, so as to exhibit its 
present artificial appearance, by the decomposition 
of the rock and earth about it. Large flocks of 
glaucous gulls had chosen this as a secure retreat 
from the foxes, and every other enemy but man ; 
and when the people first went into the ravine in 
which it stands, they were so fierce in defence of 
their young, that it was scarcely safe to approach 
them till a few shots had been fired. 

Besides a number of gulls, Captain Sabine and 
his party brought with them ten hares, which, to- 
gether with what had been obtained as they came 
along the land, furnished a fresh meal for the whole 
crew. Captain Sabine also brought word from 
Lieutenant Liddon that the Griper was in a situa- 
tion exactly similar to that of the Hecla, where 
* nipping ' appeared unavoidable, if the floes should 



POLAR REGIONS. 215 

come in. The ice, however, remained quiet about 
the Hecla during the day, even though a strong 
breeze freshened up from the E.S.E., with con- 
tinued snow ; a circumstance which, while it added 
to their present security, did not give very flattering 
hopes that there could be any room for the ice to 
drift to the westward. In the course of the evening 
Capt. Parry heard again from the Griper ; Lieu- 
tenant Liddon informing him that the floes had once 
come in towards her, so as to lift her two feet out 
of the water, and then retired without doing any 
damage. 

At eleven, P. M. a narrow lane of water opened 
near the Griper, extending about three miles to the 
Southwest ; near the Hecla it had also slackened 
a little, about midnight, but it would have been diffi- 
cult to have found a ' hole ' of water in which a boat 
could have floated, more than three hundred yards 
beyond the ship. 

On the morning of the 7th, a black whale came 
up, close to the Hecla, being the first seen since 
the 22d of August the preceding year, and it 
therefore received the distinctive appellation of the 
whale. Since leaving Winter Harbour they had 
here and there seen a solitary seal. Lieut. Beechey 
was sent to the top of a hill to the westward, to as- 
certain the state of the ice, and returned at two, 
P. M. with a large fawn, and the intelligence that 
he had, at a great distance to the south, perhaps 
forty or fifty miles off, distinguished three capes 
very plainly. The sea he reported to be covered 



216 POLAR REGIONS. 

with floes as far as the eye could reach, and the 
space between them to be so closely filled with 
broken ice that scarcely a hole of water could be 
seen. 

In the afternoon, a man from each mess was sent 
on shore to pick sorrel, which was here remarka- 
bly fine and large, as well as more acid than any 
they had lately found. The shelter from the 
northerly winds, afforded by the high land on this 
part of the coast, together with its southern aspect, 
renders the vegetation here, immediately next the 
sea, much more luxuriant than in most parts of Mel- 
ville Island which they had visited ; and a consider- 
able addition was made to their collection of plants. 
In the afternoon the ice closed the place which had 
hitherto been open about the Hecla. Several heavy 
pieces of floes floated past, not less than fifteen feet 
thick, but they were fortunately stopped by a point 
of land. At eleven, P. M., however, a mass of this 
kind, about an acre in extent, drove in, and gave the 
ship a considerable 'nip' between itself and the 
grounded ice, and then passed off to the westward. 
They were not again disturbed till five, A. M., on 
the 8th, when another piece of a floe came in, and 
gave the ship another rub, and then went past, 
after which the ice continued loose for several 
hours. Captain Parry now clomb up the hill, and 
saw the land that Lieut. Beechey had discovered. 
He called it Banks Land, and it is the farthest west 
of all the discoveries in the Polar Sea. 

From the top of the hill not a hole could be seen 
in the ice in any direction ; and they were compelled 



POLAR REGIONS. 217 

to wait for a change with what patience they might. 
Several hares were killed, and on the morning of 
the 9th, a musk-ox came down to graze on the 
beach, near the ships. A party was despatched 
in pursuit, and having hemmed him in under the 
hill, which was too steep for him to ascend, suc- 
ceeded in killing him. When first brought on 
board, the inside of this animal, which was a male, 
smelled very strongly of musk, of which the whole of 
the meat also tasted, more or less, and especially 
the heart. It furnished four hundred and twenty- 
one pounds of beef, which was served to the crews 
as usual, in lieu of their salt provisions, and was 
very much relished, notwithstanding the peculiarity 
of its flavor.* The meat was remarkably fat, and, 
as it hung up in quarters, looked as fine as any 
beef in an English market. A small seal, killed by 
the Griper's people, was also eaten by them ; and it 
was generally allowed to be very tender and pala- 
table, though not very sightly in its appearance, 
being of a disagreeable red color. 

In the morning watch, a breeze sprung up from 
the westward, which they were always ready to 
welcome, having found that it invariably served to 
open the ice, while an easterly wind as constantly 
made it closer. This was, however, of short dura- 
tion, being succeeded soon after noon by a light 
air from the southeast, which brought all the loose 

* Some pieces of this meat, which were carried to England, were 
found to have acquired a much more disagreeable flavor than when 
first killed, though they had not undergone putrefaction in the slight- 
est degree. 

19 



218 POLAR REGIONS. 

ice in upon them. At half-past three, P. M., a 
large piece of a very heavy floe came close, and 
would hare given them a ' nip ' against the shore, 
had they not avoided it lyy heaving the ship a few 
yards ahead in good time. It was then brought up 
by the point of land, and remained quiet, half a 
cable's length astern, there not being room for it to 
drift farther to the westward between the point and 
an enormous floe which blocked up the passage to 
the southward and westward. 

At ten, P. M. } the whole body of ice, which was 
then a quarter of a mile off, was found to be drifting 
in upon the land, and the ship was warped back a 
little way to the westward, towards that part of the 
Shore, which was most favorable for allowing her 
to be forced up on the beach. At eleven o'clock, 
the piece of a floe, which came near in the after- 
noon, and which had since drifted back a few hun- 
dred yards to the eastward, received the pressure 
of the whole body of ice, as it came in. It split 
across in various directions, with a considerable 
crash, and presently after they saw a part, several 
hundred tons in weight, raised slowly and majesti- 
cally, as if by the application of a screw, and de- 
posited on another part of the floe from which it 
had broken, presenting the surface that had split, 
which was of a fine blue color, and very solid 
and transparent. The violence with which the ice 
was coming in being thus broken, it remained quiet 
during the night, which was calm, with a heavy 
fall of snow. 



POLAR REGIONS. 219 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Average Thickness of the Ice. — Observations on the State of the Ice. — 
Farther Detention. — Appearances of this Part of Melville Island. — 
Great Peril of the Griper. — The Griper ordered to retrograde. 

The mass of ice which had been lifted up the 
preceding day being drifted close to them on the 
morning of the 10th, Lieutenant Beechey was sent 
to measure its thickness, which proved to be forty- 
two feet ; and, as it was a piece of a regular floe, 
this measurement may serve to give some idea of 
the general thickness of the ice in this neighbour- 
hood. 

It now became evident, from the combined ex- 
perience of this and the preceding year, that there 
was something peculiar about the southwest ex- 
tremity of Melville Island, which made the icy sea 
there extremely unfavorable to navigation, and 
which seemed likely to bid defiance to all their 
efforts to proceed much farther to the westward in 
this parallel of latitude. They had arrived off it on 
the 17th of September, 1819, after long and heavy 
gales from the northwestward, by which alone the 
ice is ever opened on this coast, and found it, in 
unusually heavy and extensive fields, completely 
closing in with the land, a mile or two to the east- 
ward of where they were now lying. They again 
arrived here in the early part of August, and though 
the rest of the navigation had been remarkably 



220 POLAR REGIONS. 

clear for fifty miles between this and Winter Har- 
bour, seeming to afford a presumptive proof that the 
season was rather a favorable one than otherwise, 
the same obstruction presented itself as before ; 
nor did there appear, from late experience, a rea- 
sonable ground of hope, that any fortuitous circum- 
stance, such as an alteration in winds or currents, 
was likely to remove the formidable impediments 
which they had now to encounter. The increased 
dimensions of the ice hereabouts would not alone 
have created an insurmountable difficulty in the 
navigation, but that it was very naturally accom- 
panied by a degree of closeness which seldom or 
never admitted an open space of clear water of 
sufficient size for a ship, or even a boat, to sail in. 
They had been lying near their present station with 
an easterly wind blowing fresh for thirty six hours 
together; and although this was considerably off 
the land, beyond the western point of the island 
now in sight, the ice had not, during the whole of 
that time, moved a single yard from the shore ; af- 
fording a proof that there was no space in which 
the ice was at liberty to move to the westward, and 
offering a single and a striking exception to ,their 
former experience. 

Under these circumstances, Capt. Parry began 
to consider whether it would not be advisable, 
whenever the ice would allow them to move, to 
sacrifice a few miles of the westing they had alrea- 
dy made, and to run along the margin of the floes, 
in order to endeavour to find an opening leading to 
the southward, by taking advantage of which they 



POLAR REGIONS. 221 

might be enabled to prosecute the voyage to the 
westward in a lower latitude. He was the more 
inclined to make this attempt, from its having long 
become evident that the navigation of this part of 
the Polar Sea is only to be performed by watching 
the occasional openings between the ice and the 
shore ; and that, therefore, a continuity of land is 
essential, if not absolutely necessary, for this pur- 
pose. Such a continuity of land, which was here 
about to fail, must necessarily be furnished by the 
northern coast of America, in whatsoever latitude it 
may be found; and, as a large portion of this short 
season had already been occupied in fruitless at- 
te.mpts to penetrate farther to the westward in 
their present parallel, under circumstances of more 
than ordinary risk to the ships, he determined, 
whenever the ice should open sufficiently, to put 
into execution the plan he had proposed. 

The westerly wind cleared them by slow degrees 
of the loose masses of ice about the ship, and in 
the afternoon the main body went off about three 
hundred yards, drifting also a little to the eastward. 
It may always be expected, in icy seas, that a 
breeze of wind, however light, will set the ice in 
motion, if there be any room for it to move ; in 
such cases, the smaller pieces of course begin to 
drift the first, and the heavier ones soon follow, 
though at a slower rate : almost every separate piece 
is seen to move with a different velocity, propor- 
tioned to its depth under water. 

In the evening the ice began to drift to the east- 
ward, and Capt. Parry communicated to Lieut 
19* 



222 POLAR REGIONS. 

Liddon his intention to push on to the westward 
the instant the sea should become clear enough 
to allow the ships to make any progress ; and, fail- 
ing in this, to attempt a passage considerably to the 
southward of their present parallel. 

At seven, P. M., the Hecla's rudder was shipped, 
and the top-gallant yards were crossed, in readiness 
for moving. But neither this evening nor the next 
day did the ice sutler them to proceed. The lati- 
tude at this station was 74° 25' 35" ; the longitude, by 
chronometers, 113° 43' 01", and the variation of the 
needle 106° 06' 38", easterly ; each of these being the 
mean of several observations, taken on different 
days. There was nothing in the appearance or 
productions of this part of the island different from 
those which had been found elsewhere, except that 
the ravines were more strikingly grand and pic- 
turesque, in consequence of the greater height of 
the land upon this part of the coast. This, as has 
been before remarked, was found, in one instance, 
to exceed eight hundred feet above the level of the 
sea ; and the hills, immediately at the back of this, 
at the distance of nine or ten miles, appeared to be 
at least one or two hundred feet higher ; so that the 
extreme height of Melville Island, as far as they had 
an opportunity of seeing it, may, perhaps, be fairly 
estimated at about one thousand feet. The rocks 
consisted entirely of sand-stone in horizontal strata, 
and the soil of sand, intermixed occasionally with 
decayed plants, forming here and there a sort of 
vegetable mould, on which the other plants and a 
few tufts of very luxuriant moss were growing. 



POLAR REGIONS. 223 

They remarked, that almost all the plants had a 
part of their flowers cropped by the hares and 
other animals, which are fond of feeding in the 
sheltered and warm situations afforded by the banks 
next the sea. 

On the 12th, the ice, setting westward, closed 
upon the land where the Griper was lying; by 
which she was forced against the submarine ice, 
and her stern was lifted two feet out of the water. 
The pressure made her timbers crack loudly : at 
first she heeled toward the land, but at last fell 
over towards the deep water. Under these cir- 
cumstances, Lieut. Liddon landed all the journals 
and other documents of importance, and made every 
arrangement in his power to save the provisions 
and stores in case of shipwreck, which he had great 
reason to anticipate. In the mean while the ice re- 
mained so close about the Hecla, that any motion 
toward the shore must have placed her in a situ- 
ation similar to that of the Griper. At last the ice 
slackened round the Griper, and she righted, without 
having received any worse injury than splitting her 
rudder ; but she still remained in the same place, 
subject to the same danger from which she had just 
been relieved. The ice was still close and un- 
broken, and pressed so close upon the shore that 
nothing could have passed between. It moved a 
few yards from the Hecla, but in the evening of the 
13th closed on her again, and pressed her firmly 
against the shore, but not so as to strain her materi- 
ally. Soon after midnight the pressure increased 
so as to make the Hecla heel eighteen inches to- 



224 POLAR REGIONS. 

ward the shore, but without appearing to strain her 
in the least. In case of anything worse, the boats 
were got out upon the beach, but in a few hours 
the pressure relaxed entirely, and the ice remained 
quiet. 

Every moment's delay confirmed Capt. Parry in 
the opinion that it was expedient to attempt to 
penetrate to the southward, as soon as the ice would 
allow the ships to move at all, rather than persevere 
in pushing directly westward. He therefore ordered 
Lieut. Liddon to run back a certain distance east- 
ward as soon as he could, without waiting for the 
Hecla, should that ship still be detained, and to 
look out for any opening to the southward, which 
might seem favorable to the object in view, and then 
wait for the Hecla. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The Hecla moves again. — Position of the Ships. — They move to the 
Eastward. — Abandonment of the Westward Course. — Musk Oxen. — 
Retrograde Passage. 

On the fifteenth, Lieut. Liddon was enabled to 
sail, in the execution of his orders. Capt. Parry, 
however, observing that the Griper made little or 
no way, hoisted the signal of recall, with the in- 
tention of making one more attempt to penetrate 
westward. The ice had so far separated as to 
allow him to sail a mile and a half along shore, 
when he was again stopped. He was fortunate in 
finding a tolerably secure situation for the Hecla 



POLAR REGIONS. 225 

within the grounded ice ; but the Griper was left 
by the wind in a place where, should the ice press 
upon her, there could be no hope of safety. For 
fear of the worst, Capt. Parry made preparations to 
send parties to assist the Griper's company, if wreck 
should become unavoidable ; but they were shortly 
after relieved from all anxiety on this account, by 
the recession of the ice from the shore, whereby 
the Griper was enabled to gain a station near the 
Hecla. 

The ice to the w T est and southwest, as seen from 
their present station, gave them no reason to expect 
a speedy opening in the desired direction. It ap- 
peared as solid and compact as so much land ; to 
which the inequalities of the surface gave it no small 
resemblance. Capt. Parry, therefore, determined 
to defer the attempt to try a more southern latitude 
no longer. 

The point at which the ships were now lying, and 
which is the westernmost to which Arctic naviga- 
tion has ever been carried, is in latitude 74 Q 26' 25", 
and longitude 113° 64' 43". Cape Dundas seen yet 
farther west is in longitude 113° 57' 35", by which 
the length of Melville Island appears to be about 
an hundred and thirtyfive miles, and its breadth, 
at the meridian of Winter Harbour, from forty to 
fifty miles. 

At nine, P. M. they were abreast of the place 
where they had landed on the 5th, and here per- 
ceived that the ice closed with the land a little to 
the eastward. There was no safety for the ships, 
unless they could get past one of the small points 



226 POLAR REGIONS. 

at the embouchure of a ravine, against which a floe 
was setting the smaller pieces of ice, and had 
blocked up the passage before they arrived. After 
heaving two hours at the halsers, they succeeded 
in getting through, and moored the ships to some 
very heavy grounded ice near the beach. Hares 
were observed here, feeding on the sides of the 
cliffs, and a few ptarmigans were seen. The place 
where the Hecla was now secured, being the only 
one of the kind which could be found, v as a little 
harbour, formed, as usual, by the grounded ice, 
some of which was fixed to the bottom in ten or 
twelve fathoms. One side of the entrance to this 
harbour consisted of masses of floes, very regular 
in their shape, placed quite horizontally, and broken 
off so exactly perpendicular, as to resemble a hand- 
some, well-built wharf. On the opposite side, how- 
ever, the masses to which they looked for security 
were themselves rather terrific objects, as they 
leaned over so much towards the ship, as to give 
the appearance of their being in the act of falling 
upon her deck ; and as a very trifling concussion 
often produces the fall of much heavier masses of 
ice, when in appearance very firmly fixed to the 
ground, Capt. Parry gave orders that no guns should 
be fired near the ship during her continuance in 
this situation. The Griper was of necessity made 
fast near the beach, in rather an exposed situation, 
and her rudder unshipped, in readiness for the ice 
coming in ; it remained quiet, however, though 
quite close, during the day, the weather being calm 
and fine. 



POLAR REGIONS. 227 

In the evening of the 18th, someheav/^eces of 
grounded ice to which the bow halser of the Hecla 
was fastened, fell off into the water, snapping the 
rope without injuring the ship. Nevertheless, as 
every alteration of this kind must materially change 
the centre of gravity of the whole mass, it was 
thought prudent to move the Hecla out of her har- 
bour to the place where the Griper was lying, lest 
some of the bergs should fall upon her deck and 
crush or sink her. 

On the 20th and 21st, the young ice formed to 
such a degree as to cement together all the loose 
ice about the ships ; nor did it thaw on either of 
those days, though the sun shone clearly upon it 
for several hours. The main body remained close 
and firm in every direction. The same state of 
things obtained on the 22d, and in the morning of 
the 23d, the young ice was an inch and a half thick. 
A breeze springing up from the westward put it in 
motion, so that by noon the ships were able to warp 
out and proceed eastward. In a short time, how 
ever, the ice closed so firmly around them that they 
became wholly unmanageable, and received many 
blows, more severe than any they had experienced 
before. After having drifted with the ice six miles, 
they were made fast to some grounded ice. 

The situation in which the ships were now placed, 
and the shortness of the remaining part of the navi- 
gable season, caused great anxiety. Judging from 
the experience of 1819, it was reasonable to con- 
clude that about the 7th of September, was the 
limit beyond which the ships could not keep the 



228 POLAR REGIONS. 

sea witijfe -y degree of safety or prospect of suc- 
cess ; but being strongly impressed with the idea 
that it was incumbent on him to make every possi- 
ble effort, Capt. Parry determined to extend this 
limit to the 14th of September, before which date 
the winter would have set in. The prospect was 
not very encouraging, even with this extension; 
they had only advanced sixty miles this season, and 
the distance to Icy Cape was yet between eight 
and nine hundred miles, supposing them to find a 
clear passage. The provisions, too, were so far re- 
duced in quantity, that by no means could they be 
made to hold out longer than till April, 1822, and 
the deficiency of fuel was even more apparent. 
These and other minor considerations induced Capt. 
Parry to ask the advice and opinions of his officers 
relative to the expediency of returning to England. 
They all agreed that any attempt to penetrate far- 
ther westward in their present parallel would be 
fruitless, and attended with loss of time that might 
be more profitably employed elsewhere. They 
advised that the vessel should run back along the 
edge of the ice, in order to look for an opening that 
might lead toward the American continent, and af- 
ter a reasonable time spent in the search, to return 
to England. This advice agreeing with his own 
opinions, Capt. Parry resolved to comply with it. 

A party was despatched in chase of a herd of 
musk cattle, that were seen grazing upon the shore, 
and two were killed. The gait of these animals is 
an awkward canter, which often makes them appear 
as if about to fall ; yet the slowest of them can far 



POLAR REGIONS, 229 

outstrip a man. These were the last animals of 
the kind killed. The total quantity of game taken 
while about the shores of Melville Island was 
as follows : three musk-oxen, twentyfour reindeer,-, 
sixtyeight hares, fiftythree geese, fiftynine ducks, 
and an hundred and forty four ptarmigans ; affording 
three thousand seven hundred and sixtysix pounds 
of meat, in all. 

The place where these last animals were killed 
was the most luxuriant pasture-ground they had 
yet met with on Melville Island. It consisted of 
about a dozen acres of short thick grass, intermixed 
with moss, which gave it almost the same lively 
appearance as that of an English meadow. It was 
covered with the dung and foot-tracks of musk- 
oxen, of which twelve or fourteen skulls were picked 
up near it : and it was here that the herd before 
mentioned Avas feeding. When walking over this 
spot, on which there were many small ponds of 
water, their surprise in some degree ceased at the 
immense distance which these animals must travel 
in the course of their annual visits to these dreary 
and desolate regions ; as such a pasture, affording 
undisturbed and luxuriant feeding during the sum- 
mer months, may, in spite of the general dreary ap- 
pearance of the island, hold out sufficient induce- 
ment for their annual emigration. 

On the twentyfourth the ships moved again, and 
found less ice as they advanced, so that when, on 
the morning of the 27th, they cleared the east end 
of Melville Island, the navigable channel was not 
less than ten miles wide. A constant look-out was 
20 



230 POLAR REGIONS. 

kept from the crow's nest for an opening to the 
south, but none occurred. The weather was hazy, 
so much so that they were again obliged to steer 
the ships the one by the other. As they proceeded, 
several islands hitherto unknown, were discovered, 
but no opening was seen in the ice, and when they 
had, on the 30th, reached longitude 90°, they be- 
came satisfied that there was no possibility of ef- 
fecting their object, and Capt. Parry, therefore, con- 
ceived it to be his duty to return forthwith to Eng- 
land, in order that no time might be lost in follow- 
ing up his discoveries, if his government should 
deem fit to do so. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The Ships explore the West Shore of Baffin's Bay. — Meet Vessels from Eng- 
land. — Esquimaux at the River Clyde. — Their Behaviour. 

It would be tedious to follow the ships from day 
to day in their passage out of Barrow's Strait, or to 
give a detail of every field of ice and every fog 
they met. Nor can much be said of the different 
islands and points of land they passed. Nothing is 
known of them but their names and positions, and 
these may as well be learned from the map as from 
our narrative. After clearing Lancaster's Sound, 
Capt. Parry w T as of opinion that considerable ser- 
vice might be rendered by a survey of the western 
coast of Baffin's Bay, and therefore determined to 
keep as close along that shore as circumstances 



POLAR REGIONS. 231 

would permit. He was confirmed in this resolution 
by the hope of finding some outlet into the Polar 
Sea in a lower latitude than Lancaster's Sound, 
which would be of great importance to the accom- 
plishment of a northwest passage. 

Keeping along this coast, on the morning of the 
third they passed some enormous icebergs, one of 
which was two hundred feet high above the sea. 
Being off a low- point of land, they observed a 
range of hills inland, a thousand feet high ; and 
the wind being light and variable, they landed 
on a bold sandy beach, two or three miles to the 
northward of a low point, at the entrance of an in- 
let, towards which they walked, and ascended a 
hill at the back of the point, in order to obtain a 
view of this opening. They now found that the 
perpendicular cliff formed the northeastern point of 
a remarkably steep and precipitous island, on each 
side of which there is a wide and bold entrance. 
Above the island, the inlet branches off in at least 
two different directions, which their situation would 
not allow them to trace to any great distance, but 
they saw no termination to either of them. 

The mineral productions were found to consist 
principally of granite and gneiss : but there were also 
abundance of limestone and quartz, the latter beau- 
tifully white. The vegetation was tolerably lux- 
uriant in some places upon the low land which 
borders the sea, consisting principally of the dwarf- 
billow, sorrel, saxifrage, and poppy, with a few 
roots of scurvy-grass. There was still a great deal 
of snow remaining even on the lower parts of the 



232 POLAR REGIONS. 

land, on which were numerous ponds of water ; on 
one of these a pair of young red-throated divers, 
which could not rise, were killed ; and two flocks 
of geese, one of them consisting of not less than 
sixty or seventy, were seen by Mr Hooper, who 
described them as being very tame, running along 
the beach before the people, without rising, for a 
considerable distance. Some glaucous gulls and 
plovers were killed, and they met with several 
tracks of bears, deer, wolves, foxes, and mice. The 
coxswain of the boat found upon the beach part of 
the bone of a whale, which had been cut at one 
end by a sharp instrument, like an axe, with a 
quantity of chips lying about it, affording undoubted 
proof of this part of the coast having been visited 
at no distant period by Esquimaux. It is no more 
than probable, indeed, that they may inhabit the 
shores of this inlet, which time would not now per- 
mit the voyagers to examine. More than sixty ice- 
bergSj of very large dimensions, were in sight from 
the top of the hill, together with a number of ex- 
tensive floes to the northeast and southeast, at 
the distance of four. or five leagues from the land. 

The latitude of the place of observation on shore 
was 71° 15' 34", its longitude 71° 17' 23".6, and the 
variation of the magnetic needle 91° 28' 32" westerly. 

While the officers were on shore, a piece of 
whale blubber, cut into a square form, was picked 
up on the water, which was soon after satisfactorily 
accounted for. The wind coming from the north- 
west in the night, the ships kept on their course ; 
and about noon the next day the astonishment of 



POLAR REGIONS. 233 

their companies was great at seeing three whale 
ships standing toward them. They afterward sailed 
away to the northward, and our friends lost sight 
of them. It was now evident that this coast, 
which, before the voyage of Capt. Ross had been 
believed inaccessible, had become a fishing station, 
like the opposite shore of Greenland. 

On the 5th, they met another fishing ship, from 
which they first learned, among other political 
events, the death of George the Third. The mas- 
ter of this vessel also informed them that he had 
met some Esquimaux, a day or two before, a little 
to the southward. Thinking it a matter of some 
interest to communicate with these people, Capt. 
Parry resolved to pay them a visit, and accordingly 
sailed toward the spot where they had been seen. 

On the 6th, they spoke with another whale ship ; 
and toward night, being near the island at the en- 
trance of the inlet called the river Clyde, they ob- 
served four canoes, paddling toward the ship. The 
Esquimaux approached, bawling and shouting, and 
came alongside without the least appearance of 
fear or suspicion. Their canoes were taken on 
board by their own desire, plainly intimated by 
signs, and with their assistance, and they at once 
came up the side without hesitation. This party 
consisted of an old man, apparently much above 
sixty, and three younger, from nineteen to thirty 
years of age. As soon as they came on deck, their 
vociferation seemed to increase with their aston- 
ishment, and, it may be added, their pleasure ; for 
the reception they met seemed to create no less 
20* 



234 POLAR REGIONS. 

joy than surprise. Whenever they received a pre- 
sent, or were shown anything which excited fresh 
admiration, they expressed their delight in loud and 
repeated ejaculations, which they sometimes con- 
tinued till they were quite hoarse and out of breath 
with the exertion. This noisy mode of expressing 
their satisfaction was accompanied by a jumping, 
which continued for a minute or more, according to 
the degree of the passion which excited, and the 
bodily powers of the person who exercised it — the 
old man being rather too infirm, but still doing his 
utmost to go through the performance. 

After some time passed on deck, during which a 
few skins and ivory knives were bought from them, 
they were taken down into the cabin. The young- 
er ones received the proposal to descend somewhat 
reluctantly, till they saw that their old companion 
was willing to show them the example, and they 
then followed without fear. Our navigators had 
soon occasion to remark that they were much bet- 
ter behaved people than the Esquimaux who had 
visited their ships in 1818, on the northeastern 
coast of Baffin's Bay. Although they were much 
at a loss for an interpreter, they had no great diffi- 
culty in making the eld man understand, by show- 
ing him an engraved portrait of an Esquimaux, that 
Lieutenant Beechey was desirous of making a sim- 
ilar drawing of him. He was accordingly placed 
on a stool near the fire, and sat for more than an 
hour with very tolerable composure and steadiness, 
considering that a barter for their clothes, spears, 
and whalebone, was going on at the same time 



POLAR REGIONS. 235 

near him. He was, indeed, kept quiet by the pre- 
sents which were given him from time to time ; and 
when this failed, and he became impatient to move, 
Capt. Parry endeavoured to remind him that he 
wished him to keep his position, by placing his 
hands before him, holding up his head, and assum- 
ing a grave and demure look. They now found 
that the old gentleman was a mimic, as well as a 
very good-natured and obliging man ; for, whenev- 
er the Captain did this, he always imitated him in 
such a manner as to create considerable diversion 
among his own people, and then very quietly kept his 
seat. While he was sitting for his picture, the 
other three stood behind him, bartering their com- 
modities with great honesty, but in a manner which 
showed them to be no strangers to traffic. If, for 
instance, a knife was offered for any article, they 
would hesitate for a short time, till they saw that 
the whites were determined to give no higher price, 
and then at once consented to the exchange. In 
this case, as well as when anything was presented 
to them, they immediately licked it twice with their 
tongues, after which they seemed to consider the 
bargain satisfactorily concluded. The youngest of 
the party very modestly kept behind the others, 
and, before he was observed to have done so, 
missed several presents, which his less diffident, 
though not importunate, companions had received. 
As the night closed in, they became desirous to 
depart, and they left the ships before dark, highly 
delighted with their visit. As Capt. Parry had 
purchased one of their canoes, a boat was sent 



236 POLAR REGIONS. 

to land its late owner, as only one person can sit in 
each. In going on shore, the canoes could beat 
the boat very much in rowing, whenever the Esqui- 
maux chose to exert themselves, but they kept 
close to her the whole way. During the time that 
they were on board, a great aptness for imitating 
certain English words was observed in them ; and, 
while going on shore, they took a particular liking 
to the expression of ' Hurra ! give way ! ' which they 
heard Mr Palmer use to the boat's crew, and which 
they frequently imitated, to the great amusement 
of all parties. 

Being desirous of seeing more of these people, 
of whom the first interview had given him a favor- 
able impression, Capt. Parry determined to lay to 
during the night, and to take the ships higher up 
the inlet on the following day. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

Intercourse with the Esquimaux. — Manner of Embarking and Disembarking 
in Canoes. — Esquimaux Tents. — Mode of Barter. — Stature and Appearance 
of the Esquimaux. 

The calm weather which prevailed during the 
night was succeeded by a breeze from the westward 
on the morning of the 7th, of which advantage was 
immediately taken to beat up the inlet, which proved 
a very extensive one. The sun did not break 
through the clouds till half after seven, when the 
expected eclipse was found to have commenced, 



POLAR REGIONS. 237 

and Capt. Parry determined to land, with Captain 
Sabine, upon the nearest island, in order to observe 
the end of it, as well as to obtain the other usual 
observations, together with angles for the survey. 
At ten minutes past eight the sun again became ob- 
scured, and was not visible till twenty minutes past 
nine, when they had landed, and were prepared 
with their glasses, but were disappointed, in finding 
that the eclipse was over. 

Soon after they had landed, the old Esquimaux 
and one of his younger companions paddled over 
from the main land, and joined them upon the 
island. They brought with them, as before, some 
pieces of whalebone and seal-skin dresses, which 
were soon disposed of, great care being taken by 
them not to produce more than one article at a 
time ; returning to their canoes, which were at a 
little distance from the boat, after the purchase of 
each of their commodities, till their little stock was 
exhausted. Considering it desirable to keep up 
among them the ideas of fair and honest exchange, 
which they already seemed to possess in no ordi- 
nary degree, Capt. Parry did not permit them to 
receive anything as presents, till all their commodi- 
ties had been regularly bought While they were 
waiting to obtain the sun's meridian altitude, the 
Esquimaux amused themselves in the most good- 
natured and cheerful manner with the boat's crew ; 
and Lieutenant Hoppner took this opportunity of 
making a drawing of the young man. It required, 
however, some show of authority, as well as some 
occasional rewards, to keep him quietly seated on 



238 POLAR REGIONS. 

the rock for a time sufficient for this purpose ; the 
inclination they have to jump about, when much 
pleased, rendering it a penalty of no trifling nature 
for them to* sit still for half an hour together. To 
show their disposition to do what little service was 
in their power, he afterwards employed himself in 
sharpening the seamen's knives, which he did with 
great expertness on any flat smooth stone, returning 
each as soon as finished to its proper owner, and 
then making signs for another, which he sharpened 
and returned in the same way, without any attempt, 
and apparently without the smallest desire, to de- 
tain it. The old man was extremely inquisitive, 
and directed his attention to those things which ap- 
peared useful, rather than to those which were 
merely amusing. An instance of this occurred on a 
tin canister of preserved meat being opened for the 
boats' crews' dinner. The old man was sitting on 
the rock, attentively watching the operation, which 
was performed with an axe struck by a mallet, when 
one of the men came up with a looking-glass. 
Capt. Parry held it up to each of the Esqui- 
maux, who had also seen one the preceding 
evening, and then gave it into each of their hands 
successively. The younger one was quite in rap- 
tures, and literally jumped for joy for nearly a 
quarter of an hour: but the old man, having had 
one smile at his own queer face, . immediately re- 
sumed his former gravity, and, returning the glass, 
directed his whole attention to the opening of the 
canister ; and when this was effected, begged very 
hard for the mallet which had performed so useful 



POLAR REGIONS. 239 

an office, without expressing the least wish to par- 
take of the meat, even when he saw them eating it 
with good appetites. Being prevailed on, however, 
to taste a little of it, with some biscuit, they did not 
seem at all to relish it, but ate a small quantity, from 
an evident desire not to offend, and then deposited 
the rest safely in their canoes. They could not be 
persuaded to taste any rum, after once smelling it, 
even when much diluted with water. 

In getting out of their canoes as well as into them, 
great care is required to preserve the balance of 
these frail and unsteady coracles, and in this they 
generally assist each other. As Capt. Parry was 
leaving the island, and they w T ere about to follow, the 
men rested on their oars to observe how they would 
manage this ; and it was gratifying to see that the 
young man launched the canoe of his aged com- 
panion, and having carefully steadied it alongside 
the rock, till he had safely embarked, carried his 
own down, and contrived, though with some diffi- 
culty, to get into it without assistance. They seem 
to take especial care, in launching their canoes, not 
to rub them against the rocks, by placing one end 
gently in the water, and holding the other up high, 
till it can be deposited without risk of injury. As 
soon as the sailors commenced rowing, the Esqui- 
maux began to vociferate their newly-acquired ex- 
pression of ' Hurra ! give way ! ' which they contin- 
ued at intervals, accompanied by the most good-hu- 
mored merriment, as the boat crossed over to the 
main land. There being now a little sea, occa- 
sioned by a weather tide, it was found that the boats 



240 POLAR REGIONS. 

could easily beat their canoes in rowing, notwith- 
standing their utmost endeavours to keep up. 

The two Esquimaux tents, which Capt. Parry was 
now going to visit, were situated just within a low 
point of land, forming the eastern side of the en- 
trance to a considerable branch of the inlet, extend- 
ing some distance to the northward. The situation 
is warm and pleasant, having a southwesterly as- 
pect, and being in every respect well adapted for 
the convenient residence of these poor people. He 
landed outside the point, and walked over to the 
tents, sending the boats, accompanied by the two 
canoes, round the point. As soon as he came in 
sight of the tents, every living animal there, men, 
women, children, and dogs, were in motion, the 
latter to the top of the hill out of our way, and the 
rest to meet the party with loud and continued 
shouting; the word 'pilletay' (give me) being the 
only articulate sound that could be distinguished 
amidst the general uproar. Besides the four men 
already seen, there were four women, one of whom, 
being about the same age as the old man, was pro- 
bably his wife ; the others were about thirty, twenty- 
two, and eighteen years of age. The first two of 
these, were supposed to be married to the two old- 
est of the young men, and had infants slung in a 
kind of bag at their backs, much in the same way 
as gipsies are accustomed to carry their children. 
There were also seven children, from twelve to 
three years of age, besides the two infants in arms, 
or rather behind their mothers' backs. 

Capt. Parry began, as before, by buying whatev- 



POLAR REGIONS. 241 

er they had to dispose of, giving in exchange knives, 
axes, brass kettles, needles, and other useful arti- 
cles, and then added such presents as might be fur- 
ther serviceable to them. From the first moment of 
his arrival until he left them, or rather until he had 
nothing left to give, the females were particularly 
importunate, and 'pilletay' resounded from the 
whole troop, wherever the party went. They were 
extremely anxious to obtain buttons, apparently 
more on account of the ornament of the crown and 
anchor which they observed upon them, than from 
any value they set upon their use ; and several of 
these were cut off, to please their fancy. When 
Capt. Parry first endeavoured to bargain for a 
sledge, the persons he addressed gave him distinct- 
ly to understand by signs, that it was not their 
property, and pointed towards the woman who 
owned it ; though his ignorance in this respect of- 
fered a good opportunity of defrauding him, had 
they been so inclined, by receiving an equivalent 
for that which did not belong to them. On the own- 
er's coming forward, the bargain was quickly con- 
cluded. The pikes which Capt. Parry gave in ex- 
change, underwent the usual ceremony of licking, 
and the sledge was carried to the boat with the 
most perfect understanding on both sides. In 
another instance, an axe was offered by some of the 
Griper's gentlemen, as the price of a dog, to which 
the woman who owned the animal consented. To 
show that they placed full confidence in them, the 
axe w^as^given to her before the dog was caught, and 
she immediately went away with a kind of halter 
21 



242 POLAR REGIONS. 

or harness of thongs, which they use for this pur- 
pose, and honestly brought one of the finest among 
them, though nothing would have been easier than 
to have evaded the performance of her contract. 
The readiness, however, with which they generally 
parted with their commodities, was by no means the 
effect of fear, nor did it always depend on the value 
of the articles offered in exchange ; for having, as 
he thought, concluded a bargain for a second canoe 
belonging to the old woman, Capt. Parry desired 
the men to hand it down to the boat : but he soon 
perceived that he had misunderstood her, for she 
clung fast to the canoe, and cried most piteously 
till it was set down ; he then offered a larger price 
than before, but she could not be induced to part 
with it. 

The stature of these people, like that of Esqui- 
maux in general, is much below the usual standard. 
The height of the old man, who was rather bent by 
age, was four feet eleven inches, and that of the 
other men from five feet four and a half to five feet 
six inches. Their faces are round and plump in 
the younger individuals ; skin smooth ; complexion 
not very dark, except that of the old man ; teeth 
very white ; eyes small ; nose broad, but not very 
flat; hair black, straight and glossy ; and their hands 
and feet extremely diminutive. The old man had 
a grey beard in which the black hairs predominated, 
and wore the hair rather long upon his upper lip, 
which was also the case with the eldest of the three 
others. One of these, the white men thought, bore 
a striking resemblance to their poor friend John 



POLAR REGIONS. 243 

Sacheuse, well known as the Esquimaux who ac- 
companied the former Expedition, the want of 
whose services they particularly felt on this occa- 
sion, and whose premature death had been sincere- 
ly lamented by all who knew him, as an intelligent 
and amiable man, and a valuable member of so- 
ciety. 

The grown-up females measured from four feet 
ten to four feet eleven inches. The features of the 
two youngest were regular ; their complexions clear, 
and by no means dark ; their eyes small, black, and 
piercing ; teeth beautifully white and perfect ; and 
although the form of their faces is round and chub- 
by, and their noses rather flat than otherwise, their 
countenances might, perhaps, be considered pleas- 
ing, even according to the ideas of beauty which 
habit has taught us to entertain. Their hair, which 
is jet black, hangs down long and loose about 
their shoulders, a part of it on each side being care- 
lessly plaited, and sometimes rolled up into an awk- 
ward lump, instead of being neatly tied on the top 
of the head, as the Esquimaux women in most oth- 
er parts are accustomed to wear it. The youngest 
female had much natural bashfulness and timidity, 
and was considered to be the only unmarried one, 
as she differed from the other three in not being 
tattooed upon the face. Two of them had their 
hands tattooed also, and the old woman had a few 
marks of the same kind about each wrist. None 
of the men or children were thus distinguished. 

The children were generally good-looking, and 
the eldest boy, about twelve years of age, was a re- 



244 POLAR REGIONS. 

markably fine and even handsome lad. They were 
rather scared at first ; but kind treatment and a few 
trifling presents soon removed their fears, and made 
them almost as importunate as the rest. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Dress of the Esquimaux. — Description of their Tents. — Description of their 
Canoes. — Implements used in the Fisher}'. — Their Sledges. — Esquimaux 
Dogs. — Their Voracity. — Household Economy. 

The dress of the men consists of a seal-skin 
jacket, with a hood, which is occasionally drawn 
over the head, of which it forms the only covering. 
The breeches are also generally of seal-skin, and are 
made to reach below the knee, and their boots, 
which meet the breeches, are made of the same 
material. In this dress there was no difference 
from that of other Esquimaux, except that the 
jacket, instead of having a pointed flap before and 
behind, as usual, was quite straight behind, and had 
a sort of scollop before in the centre. In the dress 
of the women there was not so much regard to de- 
cency as in that of the men. The jacket is of seal- 
skin, with a short pointed flap before, and a long 
one behind, reaching almost to the ground. They 
had on a kind of drawers, similar to those described 
by Crantz as the summer dress of the Greenland 
women, and no breeches. The drawers cover the 
middle part of the body, from the hips to one-third 
down the thigh, the rest of which is entirely naked 



POLAR REGIONS. 245 

nearly as far as the knee. The boots are like those 
of the men, and besides these they have a pair of 
very loose leggins, as they may be called, which 
hang down carelessly upon the top of the boots, 
suffering their thighs to be exposed in the manner 
before described, but which may be intended oc- 
casionally to fasten up, so as to complete the cover- 
ing of the whole body. The children are all re- 
markably well clothed ; their dress, both in male 
and female, being in every respect the same as that 
of the men, and composed entirely of seal-skin, very 
neatly sewed. 

The tents which are their summer habitations 
are principally supported by a long pole of whale- 
bone, fourteen feet high, standing perpendicu- 
larly, with four or five feet of it projecting above 
the skins which form the roof and sides. The 
length of the tent is seventeen, and its breadth from 
seven to nine feet, the narrowest part being next 
the door, and widening towards the inner part, 
where the bed, composed of a quantity of the small 
shrubby plant, the Andromeda Tetragona, occupies 
about one-third of the whole apartment. The pole 
of the tent is fixed where the bed commences, and 
the latter is kept separate by some pieces of bone 
laid across the tent from side to side. The door, 
which faces the southwest, is also formed of two 
pieces of bone, with the upper ends fastened to- 
gether, and the skins are made to overlap in that 
part of the tent, which is much lower than the inner 
end. The covering is fastened to the ground by 
curved pieces of bone, being generally parts of the 
21* 



246 POLAR REGIONS. 

whale ; the tents were ten or fifteen yards apart, and 
about the same distance from the beach. 

The canoe which Capt. Parry purchased, and 
which was one of the best of the five that he saw, 
was sixteen feet eleven inches in length, and its ex- 
treme breadth two feet one inch and a half; two 
feet of its fore-end were out of the water when float- 
ing. It differed from the canoe of Greenland, in 
being somewhat lower at each end, and also in 
having a higher rim or gun-wale, as it may be 
termed, round the circular hole where the man sits, 
which may make them somewhat safer at sea. 
Their construction is, in other respects, much the 
same, the timbers, or ribs, which are five or six 
inches apart, as well as the fore and aft connecting 
pieces, being of whalebone or drift-wood, and the 
skins with which they were covered, those of the 
seal and walrus. When the canoes are taken on 
shore, they are carefully placed on two upright piles 
or pillars of stones, four feet high from the ground, 
in order to allow the air to pass under to dry them, 
and prevent their rotting. The paddle is double 
and made of fir, the edges of the blade being cov- 
ered with hard bone, to secure them from wear- 
ing. 

The spears or darts, which they use in killing 
seals and other sea animals, consist, like the har- 
poons of our fishermen, of two parts, a staiF, and 
the spear itself; the former is usually of wood, 
when so scarce and valuable a commodity can be 
obtained, from three and a half to five feet in length, 
and the latter of bone, about eighteen inches long, 



POLAR REGIONS. 247 

sometimes tipped with iron, but more commonly 
ground to a blunt point at one end, while the other 
fits into a socket in the staff, to which it is firmly 
secured by thongs. The lines which they attach 
to their spears are very neatly cut out of seal-skins, 
and when in a state of preparation are left to stretch 
till dry, between the tents, and then made up into 
coils for use. They make use of a bladder fastened 
to the end of the line, in the same manner as the 
other Esquimaux. Beside the spears, Capt. Parry 
purchased an instrument having a rude hook of 
iron let into a piece of bone, and secured by thongs 
to a staff, the hook being sharply pointed, but not 
barbed. While Capt. Parry was on the island (to 
which he had applied the name of Observation 
Island), it happened that a small bird flew near, 
when one of the Esquimaux made the sign of shoot- 
ing it with a bow and arrow, in a manner which 
could not be misunderstood. It is remarkable, 
therefore, that none of these weapons were found 
about their tents, except a little one of five or six 
inches long, the bow being made of whalebone, and 
the arrow of fir, with a feather at one end, and a 
blunt point of bone at the other, evidently appear- 
ing to be a child's toy, and intended, perhaps, to 
teach the use of it at an early age. 

The runners of the only sledge seen were com- 
posed of the right and left jaw-bones of a young 
w T hale, being nine feet nine inches long, one foot 
seven inches apart, and seven inches high from the 
ground. They are connected by a number of par- 
allel pieces, made of the ribs of the whale, and 



248 POLAR REGIONS. 

secured transversely with seizings of whalebone, so 
as to form the bottom of the sledge, and the back 
is made of two deers' horns placed in an upright 
position. The lower part of the runners is shod 
with a harder kind of bone, to resist the friction 
against the ground. The whole vehicle is rudely 
executed, and, being nearly twice the weight of 
the sledges seen among the northern Esquimaux, is 
probably intended for carrying heavy burdens. The 
dogs were not less than fifty or sixty in number, 
and had nothing about them different from those on 
the eastern coast of Baffin's Bay, except they do 
not stand near so high as those of the latitude of 
76°. They are very shy and wild, and the natives 
had great difficulty in catching them while the 
whites were by, as well as holding them in when 
caught. Some of them have much more of the 
wolf in their appearance than others, having very 
long heads and sharp noses, with a brushy tail, 
almost always carried between the legs ; while the 
bodies of others are less lank, their noses are 
less sharp, and they carry their tails handsomely 
curled over their backs: their color varied from 
quite dark to brindled. The ravenous manner in 
which they devour their food is almost incredible. 
Both the old and young ones, when a bird is given 
them, generally swallow feathers and all : and an 
old dog that Capt. Parry purchased, though regu- 
larly fed, while on board, by a person appointed for 
that purpose, ate up, with great avidity, a large piece 
of canvass, a cotton handkerchief, which one of the 
men had just washed and laid down by his side, 



POLAR REGIONS. 249 

and a part of a check shirt. The young dogs will 
at any time kill themselves by over-eating, if per- 
mitted. The children appeared to have some right 
of property in the smaller puppies, or else their pa- 
rents are very indulgent to them ; for several bar- 
gains of this kind were made with them, without 
any objection or interference on the part of the pa- 
rents, who were standing by at the time. 

Within a few stones, irregularly placed in a cor- 
ner of each tent, was a lamp of oil and moss, and 
over each of these was suspended a small stone 
vessel of an oblong shape, and broader at the top 
than at the bottom, containing a large mess of sea- 
horse flesh, with a great quantity of thick gravy. 
Some ribs of this meat were by no means bad look- 
ing, and but for the blood mixed with the gravy, 
and the dirt which accompanied the cooking, might 5 
perhaps, be palatable enough. Capt Parry bar- 
gained with a woman for one of the stone vessels, 
giving her a brass kettle in exchange. Before she 
gave it into his possession, she emptied the meat 
into another vessel, and then, with the flap of her 
jacket, wiped out the remains of the gravy ; thus 
combining with what our notions of cleanliness in- 
cline us to consider a filthy act, an intention of de- 
cency, and a desire to oblige, which, however in- 
consistent, it was still pleasing to observe. Some 
of their vessels were made of whalebone, in a cir- 
cular form, one piece being bent into the proper 
shape for the sides, and another flat piece of the 
same material sewn to it for a bottom, so closely as 
to make it perfectly water tight. Their knives are 



250 POLAR REGIONS. 

made of the tusks of the walrus, cut or ground suf- 
ficiently thin for the purpose, and retaining the ori- 
ginal curve of the tusk, so as to resemble the little 
swords which children have as toys in England. 
As they do not appear to have any instrument like 
a saw, great time and labor must be required in 
making one of these knives, which seem to answer 
most of the purposes to which they have occasion 
to apply them. 



CHAPTER XX. 

Farther Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — Their Number. — Health. 
— Demeanour. — Return of the Expedition to England. 

Several proofs were observed that this people 
had had some previous communication, directly or 
indirectly, with the civilized world ; such as some 
light blue beads, strung by themselves on thin 
leathern threads ; and an instrument for chopping, 
very much resembling a cooper's adze, which had 
evidently been secured to a handle of bone for 
some time past, and of which the iron was paft of 
an old file. 

The short time which our friends were among 
them, as well as the want of an interpreter, pre- 
vented their obtaining much of the information, 
which would have been interesting, respecting the 
language, manners, and number of this tribe of Es- 
quimaux. They call the bear, nennook; the deer, 
tooktook; and the hare, ookalik ; being nearly the 



POLAR REGIONS. 251 

same words as those used on the eastern coast of 
Baffin's Bay. As it was considered a matter of 
some interest to ascertain whether they were ac- 
quainted with the musk-ox, a drawing of that ani- 
mal was put before the men who were on board. 
The small size of it seemed, at first sight, to con- 
found them ; but, as soon as a real head and horns 
were produced, they immediately recognised them, 
and eagerly repeated the word oomingmack, which 
at once satisfied us, that they knew the musk-ox, 
and that this was the animal spoken of by the Es- 
quimaux of Greenland, under the same name, some- 
what differently pronounced. 

To judge by their appearance, and what is a 
better criterion, the number of their children, there 
could be little doubt that the means of subsistence 
which they possess are very abundant ; but of this 
there was more direct proof, in the quantity of sea- 
horses and seals found concealed under stones, 
along the shore of the north branch, as well as on 
Observation Island. Mr Fife reported that, in 
sounding the north branch, he met with their win- 
ter-huts, above two miles above the tents on the 
same shore, and that they were partly excavated 
from a bank facing the sea, and the rest built round 
with stones. 

No appearance of disease was seen among the 
seventeen persons who inhabited the tents, except 
that the eyes of the old couple were rather blear- 
ed, and a very young infant looked pale and sickly. 
The old man had a large scar on one side of his 
head, which he explained very clearly to be a wound 



252 POLAR REGIONS. 

he had received from a nennook (bear). Upon the 
whole, these people may be considered in possession 
of every necessary of life, as well as of most of the 
comforts and conveniences which can be enjoyed 
in so rude a state of society. In the situation and 
circumstances in which the Esquimaux of North 
Greenland are placed, there is much to excite com- 
passion for the low state to which human nature 
appears to be there reduced ; a state in few re- 
spects superior to that of the bear or the seal, which 
they kill for their subsistence. But, with these, it 
was impossible not to experience a feeling of a more 
pleasing kind : there was a respectful decency in 
their general behaviour, which at once struck the 
visitors as very different from that of the other un- 
tutored Esquimaux, and in their persons there was 
less of that intolerable filth by which these people 
are so generally distinguished. But the superiority 
for which they are the most remarkable is, the per- 
fect honesty which characterized all their dealings. 
During the two hours that the men were on board, 
and for four or five hours that they were subse- 
quently among them on shore, on both which oc- 
casions the temptation to steal was perhaps strong- 
er than we can well imagine, and the opportunity 
of doing so by no means wanting, not a single in- 
stance occurred, of their pilfering the most trifling 
article. It is pleasing to record a fact, no less 
singular in itself, than honorable to these simple 
people. 

Having made the necessary observations, the 
whites went to the tents to take leave of their new 



POLAR REGIONS. 253 

acquaintance. The old man seemed quite fatigued 
with the day's exertions, but his eyes sparkled with 
delight, and it was thought with gratitude too, on 
being presented with another brass kettle, to add to 
the stores with which they had already enriched 
him. He seemed to understand them when they 
shook him by the hand ; the whole group watched 
them in silence, as they went into the boat, and, as 
soon as they had rowed a few hundred yards from 
the beach, quietly retired to their tents. 

After leaving the river Clyde, the ships proceeded 
along the shore till the 12th, when they came to 
the ice. The coast was generally found moun- 
tainous, and presented the same features as the 
lands already described. Finding the state of the 
ice such as to preclude the possibility of following 
the shore any farther, they ran back along its edge 
to the northward, in order to get round it, if pos- 
sible. 

We suppose that by this time the reader is tired 
of bergs, and fields, and floes; and shall not there- 
fore say anything more of their exit from Baffin's 
Bay or of their passage across the Atlantic. Let 
it suffice that the ships parted company. The Hec- 
la arrived at the Orkney Islands on the 28th of 
October, and the Griper on the first of November. 
Thus did they return from a voyage of eighteen 
months duration, in good health and spirits, with the 
loss of only one man. 



22 



CAPTAIN PARRY'S 



SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 



CHAPTER I. 

The Hecla and Fury fitted out. — They reach Davis' Strait. — Difficulties 
in the Ice. — The Ships are visited hy Esquimaux. — Their Behaviour. 

The discoveries made by the expedition under Capt. 
Parry in 1819-20 being believed to afford a strong 
presumption of the existence of a Northwest Passage 
to the Pacific Ocean, the British government com- 
manded that another attempt should be made to 
discover it. The Hecla having been found well 
adapted to this kind of service, the Fury, a ship of 
precisely the same class, was selected to accompa- 
ny her. Capt. George F. Lyon was appointed to 
command the Hecla, and Capt. Parry, whose efforts 
had made him justly celebrated, was commissioned 
to command the expedition. 

Some alterations in the interior arrangements of 
the vessels, such as were suggested by the ex- 
perience of Capt. Parry, were made. Among these 
was an apparatus for melting snow, which was found 



POLAR REGIONS. 255 

very useful, and was so little in the way that it could 
not even be seen. Cots and hammocks were sub- 
stituted for the former bed places, and some im- 
provements were made in the manner of victualling 
the ships. 

In his official instructions, Capt. Parry was di- 
rected to proceed into Hudson's Strait till he should 
meet the ice, when the Nautilus Transport, which 
was placed at his disposal, was to be cleared of its 
provisions and stores. He was then to penetrate 
westward till he should reach some land which he 
should be convinced was a part of the American 
continent, at some point north of Wager River. If 
he reached the Pacific, he was to proceed to Kam- 
schatka; thence to Canton or the Sandwich Islands, 
and thence to England, by whatever route he might 
deem most convenient. 

Accordingly, in the beginning of April, 1821, the 
three vessels sailed from England. Nothing wor- 
thy of note occurred till they met with the ice in 
Davis' Strait, where the vessels were moored to an 
iceberg, and the Nautilus was unladen. This done, 
she parted company on the 1st of July, and sailed 
for England, while the Fury and Heel a stood to- 
ward the ice, which they reached a little before 
noon, and ran along its edge, keeping as much to 
the westward as possible. 

On the third, the ice prevented their farther pro- 
gress in that direction, covering the whole sea as 
far as the eye might reach. In the afternoon, the 
ships entered it with the tide, which carried them 
at the rate of three miles an hour. It here con- 



256 POLAR REGIONS. 

sisted of large, though loose pieces of broken floes, 
with many high hummocks, and drawing a great 
deal of water. 

A fresh breeze springing up on the morning of the 
5th, they succeeded in pushing the ships in shore, 
where they found a lane of tolerably open water ; 
but as the tide was against them, as soon as they 
came to the end of the lane they drifted to the 
eastward, and lost the little distance they had gained. 
They were now within six miles of the south point 
of Resolution Island, which is in latitude 61° 20' and 
longitude 64° 55'. 

In the night, a considerable swell caused the ships 
to strike violently and constantly against the ice. 
They remained thus beset several hours, drifting 
about at random. In the morning, , they were five 
or six miles apart. This exposure to the swell of 
the main ocean is the principal danger on first en- 
tering the ice about the mouth of Hudson's Strait, 
which is completely open to the Atlantic. A small 
quantity of loose ice is sufficient to protect a ship 
from the sea, provided it be closely packed; but 
when the pieces are so far separate as to admit the 
swell, the concussions are too violent for a ship to 
resist long. On this account it is prudent not to 
enter the ice, unless there is a fair prospect of get- 
ting twenty or thirty miles within the margin. 

The ships remained thus beset till the morning 
of the 16th, when the ice loosening, they commenced 
'boring,' and continued the operation the whole 
day, which enabled them to join three vessels, that 
had been in sight some days. They were bound 



POLAR REGIONS. 257 

to Hudson's Bay, with emigrants to Lord Selkirk's 
settlement on the Red River. Thus they proceeded 
slowly till the 21st, when the wind coming ahead, 
they made fast to a floe near an island. While in 
the act of mooring, they heard voices in shore, and 
presently saw some Esquimaux coming off to them. 
Seventeen of them came alongside the Fury. 
Having hauled their kayaks (canoes) upon the floe, 
they began to barter their commodities, consisting 
of seal and whale blubber, whale-bone, spears, 
lines, and the skins of the seal, bear, fox, deer, and 
dog. Capt. Parry's first endeavour was to procure 
as much oil as possible, of which, as he had been 
informed by the Hudson's Bay ships, several tons 
are thus almost annually obtained from these peo- 
ple. He soon found that they had been well ac- 
customed to bargain-making, for it was with some 
difficulty that he could prevail upon them to sell the 
oil for anything of reasonable value. They fre- 
quently gave the whites to understand that they 
wanted saws and harpoons in exchange for it, and 
as these were articles which they could not spare, 
it was not without trouble that they obtained, in 
the course of the evening, two barrels of blubber, in 
exchange for several knives, large nails, and pieces 
of iron hoop, which was certainly a dear bargain on 
their side. If the savages saw more than one of these 
at a time, they would try hard to get the whole for 
the commodity they were offering ; though, when 
the English had for some time persisted in refusing, 
they would not only accept what was offered, but 
jump for joy at having obtained it. They always 
22* 



258 POLAR REGIONS. 

licked the articles given them, and in one instance 
only was manifested any inclination to break the 
contract after this process had been gone through. 
Shortly after these men had arrived, a large oomiak, 
or women's boat, made its appearance, containing 
six or seven females and four men, the oldest of 
the latter, as seemed usual among them, steering 
the boat with a rude oar of wood. The women 
could not be induced to land upon the floe, but 
held up skins jand small narrow strips of well-tanned 
leather to exchange, loudly vociferating pilletay 
(give me) the whole time. There were in this boat 
several skins of oil and blubber, which Capt. Parry 
tried hard to purchase, but nothing could induce 
the old man to part with more than one skin of it ; 
for what reason the Captain could not tell, except 
that he hoped, by perseverance, to obtain a higher 
price. On Capt. Parry's desiring his men to hand 
out a second skin of oil, as an equivalent for which 
he put into the old man's hand a second knife, he 
resisted most vehemently, pushing the men aside 
in the boat with a violence the Captain had never 
seen the Esquimaux use on any other occasion. 
One of the younger men then came forward, and 
was lifting up the stretcher of their boat, to strike 
the people, who were good-humoredly laughing at 
the old man's violence, when Capt. Parry thought 
it high time to interpose, and raising a boat-hook 
over the head of the Esquimaux, as if about to strike 
them, soon brought them into a cooler mood ; after 
which, to prevent further altercation, he ordered 
his people out of the boat. They had, by this time, 



POLAR REGIONS. 259 

succeeded in purchasing all the oil brought by the 
first canoes ; and as the old fellow, who was com- 
manding officer of the oomiak, obstinately persisted 
in his refusal to sell his, Capt. Parry ordered him 
away, when he immediately rowed to the Hecla, 
and sold his oil for less than he might have obtained 
at first. Four other oomiaks afterwards came from 
the shore, from which the ships were distant five or 
six miles. Each of these contained from fourteen 
to twentysix persons, the majority being females 
and young children. Upon the whole, not less 
than one hundred of the natives visited the ships in 
the course of the evening. 

These people possessed in an eminent degree 
the disposition to steal all they could lay their hands 
on, which has almost universally been imputed to 
every tribe of Esquimaux hitherto visited by Euro- 
peans. They more than once tried the art of 
picking pockets, and were as bold and unembar- 
rassed as ever, immediately after detection. It is 
impossible to describe the horribly disgusting man- 
ner in which they sat down, as soon as they felt 
hungry, to eat their raw blubber, and to suck the oil 
remaining on the skins they had just emptied, the 
very smell of which, as well as the appearance, was 
to the sailors almost insufferable. The disgust 
which the seamen could not helo expressing at this 
sight seemed to create in the Esquimaux the most 
malicious amusement ; and when the whites turned 
away, literally unable to bear the sight without be- 
ing sick, they would, as a good joke among them- 
selves, run after them, holding out a piece of blubber 



260 POLAR REGIONS. 

or raw seal's flesh, dripping with oil and filth, as if 
inviting them to partake of it. Both the men and 
women were guilty of still more disgusting indecen- 
cies, which seemed to afford them amazing diver- 
sion. A worse trait even than all this was displayed 
by two women alongside the Hecla, who, in a man- 
ner too unequivocal to be misunderstood, offered 
to barter their children for some article of trifling 
value, beginning very deliberately to strip them of 
their clothes, which they did not choose to consider 
as included in the intended bargain. 

Upon the whole, it was impossible not to receive 
a very unfavorable impression of the general beha- 
viour and moral character of the natives of this 
part of Hudson's Strait, who seem to have acquired, 
by an annual intercourse with ships for nearly a 
hundred years, many of the vices which unhappily 
attend a first intercourse with the civilized world, 
without having imbibed any of the virtues or refine- 
ments which adorn and render it happy. 



CHAPTER II. 

Offensive Conduct of the Esquimaux. — Description of the Savage Islands. 
—Ships make the Coast of Labrador. — More Esquimaux. 



Early on the morning of the 22d, the Esquimaux 
visited the ships again, and disturbed the chips' 
companies, who were engaged at divine worship, 



POLAR REGIONS. 261 

by their clamor. They behaved throughout in the 
same offensive manner. A little before noon, the 
wind coming southward, and the ice being some- 
what loosened, the ships cast off, and made sail up 
the Strait. As they proceeded, both wind and ice 
combined to favor their progress, the former in 
strength and direction, and the latter by opening in- 
to loose streams, so that, for the first time since en- 
tering the Strait, all the studding-sails were set, 
with some prospect of deriving advantage from 
them. 

On the 24th, they reached the Savage Islands, 
and landed on one of them. They are many — all 
exhibiting the same appearance of utter sterility. 
That on which they landed was from six to eight 
hundred feet above the level of the sea. Here they 
noticed the same appearances of an Esquimaux 
camp as had been seen at Melville Island, with a 
few pieces of fir, which proved that the savages in 
these parts were not in want of wood, since they 
could afford to leave it behind them. Hares and 
several species of birds were seen on this island. 

As soon as the exploring party returned on board, 
all sail was made to the westward, the sea being 
now nearly free from ice. The next day the hills 
on the coast of Labrador were seen. Thus they 
kept on till the 31st, discovering islands as they 
proceeded. On the afternoon of this day, an Es- 
quimaux oomiak was seen coming from the shore of 
Salisbury Island, under sail, accompanied by eight 
kayaks. In this boat were sixteen persons, of which 
two were men, and the rest women and children. 



262 POLAR REGIONS. 

In dress and personal appearance these people did 
not differ from the Esquimaux last seen, but their 
behaviour was far less offensive. 

On the first of August, the ships kept on west- 
ward between Nottingham Island and the north 
shore, which is fringed with small islands. This 
channel is about twelve miles wide. In the course 
of the morning, some Esquimaux came to the ships 
from the main land, bringing oil, skin dresses, and 
walrus tusks, which they exchanged for any trifle 
that was offered. They also offered toys for sale, 
such as models of canoes, weapons, &c. Here, 
for the first time, the navigators saw the dresses of 
the savages lined with the skins of birds, having the 
feathers inside. 

Having run forty miles in the night without see- 
ing any ice, they came the next morning to a pack 
so close as to prevent their farther progress. The 
ships received very heavy blows, and with consid- 
erable difficulty got clear of it. They ran along the 
edge several miles to the northward, in search of 
an opening ; but finding none, they stood back to 
the southwest, to try what could be done in that 
quarter, 



POLAR REGIONS. 263 



CHAPTER III. 

The Ships make the Northern Land, Southampton Island, Frozen Strait. — 
The Ice begins to make. — The Ship gets into Winter Quarters. — Shrimps, 
Foxes. — A Theatre is opened. — The Northern Lights. 

The expedition being now about to enter upon 
ground hitherto unexplored, it became necessary 
for Capt. Parry to decide on the route he should 
pursue with most advantage ; and after mature de- 
liberation, he came to the resolution to attempt a 
direct passage of the Frozen Strait, though he great- 
ly feared the loss of time that would be the conse- 
quence of a failure. 

After contending with the ice for several days, 
on the 11th the ship succeeded in getting to the 
northern land, and a party of the officers landed 
upon a small rock, or islet, a mile and a half from 
the shore. They found it to consist entirely of 
gneiss rock, with a little moss, and a very few other 
plants growing in the crevices. It would seem 
that no place, however barren, is exempt from the 
visits of the Esquimaux ; for their traces were found 
even here. The tide rose a foot in less than an 
hour. Soon after the party returned on board, a 
fresh gale from the north compelled them to make 
the ship fast to the largest floe near, in order not 
to lose much ground. The wind drifted them back 
nine or ten miles to the eastward during the night, 
but was nevertheless of great service to them, for 
it dispersed the ice so as to leave the ships room to 



264 POLAR REGIONS. 

work. Here it may be remarked that they always 
found a head wind of considerable advantage, though 
it blew directly against them, as it brought away 
large bodies of ice from that quarter, consequently 
leaving an interval of open water. 

The gale moderated about noon, and they cast 
off from the floe, and made sail. They made con- 
siderable progress till evening, when the ice closed 
round them again. They could now see the north- 
ernmost point of Southampton Island. After sun- 
set the ice opened sufficiently to allow them to get 
a mile or two farther. Great numbers of narwhales 
played about the ships all night. 

The weather about this time was very different 
from that to which our voyagers had been accus- 
tomed in the icy seas. The days were tempe- 
rate and clear, and the nights just cold enough to 
form a very thin plate of ice on the surface of the 
sea in sheltered places, and in the pools of water 
on the floes. 

After sunset on the 13th, they descried land to 
the westward, which they believed to be a part of 
the continent. Yet they continued closely beset, 
and on the 15th the Hecla drifted back with the 
ice, out of sight of her consort. This was partly 
owing to the extraordinary refraction upon the ho- 
rizon, which apparently diminished and distorted 
objects at no great distance, in a wonderful man- 
ner. 

In the evening, Capt. Parry left the Fury in a 
boat, in order to explore the channel, and landed 
on Southampton Island, where he slept all night. 



POLAR REGIONS. 265 

The part of this great island where he took up his 
lodgings was a thousand feet high, and composed of 
gneiss. The boat's crew made a tent of a sail, and 
passed the night very comfortably. A great many 
whales played about the beach all night. The lati- 
tude of this place was 65° 28' and the longitude 
84° 40'. 

At daylight, Capt. Parry ascended the hill above 
his sleeping place, from whence he perceived land 
stretching round to the west and northward, so as 
apparently to leave no opening in that quarter. 
This land appeared low, and of a yellowish color. 
To the westward was a large expanse of open 
water. Traces of Esquimaux were observed here 
also. Moss, sorrel, ground willow, and some other 
plants grew T in the hollows and fissures in the 
rocks, in abundance. Soon after Capt. Parry re- 
turned on board, the Hecla hove in sight ; upon 
which, the Fury set sail, and beat through the chan- 
nel. 

On the morning of the 17th, the weather being 
too foggy to move, parties from both ships went on 
shore to examine the country and to procure speci- 
mens of its natural productions. They landed on a 
flat and very rough beach, principally composed of 
sharp masses of limestone, over which, at low water, 
it was difficult to drag the boats. Mixed with these 
were some pieces of gneiss and granite, but the 
lime is by far the most abundant. This land, which 
rises gradually from the beach, but is in no part 
more than sixty or seventy feet above the level of 
the sea, was full of ponds of fresh water, and in 
23 



266 POLAR REGIONS. 

almost all the intermediate parts there was abun- 
dance of fine vegetation, consisting of grass, moss, 
and various other plants, of which specimens were 
brought on board. A splendid specimen of the 
colymbus arcticus, and also a red-throated diver (co- 
lymbus septentrionalis), were obtained by the gentle- 
men of the Hecla. The former, though very wild, 
were numerous, as were also plovers of two kinds, 
the charadrius phwialis, and hiaticula. Nine or ten 
deer, of which several were fawns, with a large 
buck, as usual bringing up the rear of the herd, were 
met with by some of the people, but they would 
not suffer themselves to be approached within gun- 
shot. A great number of fine black whales were 
playing about near the beach, and, from the total 
absence of ice, would have afforded a rich and easy 
harvest to a fishing ship. Several seals were also 
seen, and they were in hopes of finding some sil- 
locks near the shore, but had no success with the 
seine, which was twice hauled upon the beach. 
They met with the remains of several Esquimaux 
habitations in different places along the shore, and 
in one spot a conspicuous mark had been left by 
these people, consisting of several stones placed 
one over the other. The beach being favorable 
for measuring a base, they ran off one above a mile 
in length, and obtained the necessary angles for the 
survey, together with the usual observations for fix- 
ing their geographical position. 

As soon as the weather cleared up, they returned 
on board, and sailed to the northeast, where alone 
they had any chance of finding an outlet. Having 



POLAR REGIONS. £67 

ascertained the continuity of land round this inlet, 
they gave it the name of Duke of York's Bay. It 
was now certain that the object of the expedition 
could not be effected in that direction ; and they 
therefore sailed back, through the narrow channel 
by which they had entered, with the intention of 
seeking an opening farther north, without delay. 

We should never have done, were we to tell of 
every obstacle that hindered or delayed the progress 
of the ships ; and will therefore in future say as little 
about such matters as possible. They pursued 
their intended course along the shore, when the 
wind and weather permitted: when unavoidably 
detained, they landed. At one point they found 
the remains of no less than sixty Esquimaux habi- 
tations, consisting of stones laid one over the other in 
very regular circles, eight or nine feet in diameter, 
besides nearly a hundred other rude though certain- 
ly artificial structures, some of which had been firer- 
places, others store-houses, and the rest tolerably 
built w T alls, four or five feet high, placed two and 
two, and generally eight or nine feet apart, which 
these people use for their canoes, as well as to keep 
the dogs from gnawing them. A great many circles 
of stones were also seen more inland. About three 
miles to the N.N.W. of the landing-place, the peo- 
ple reported having seen fifteen others of the same 
kind, and what they took to be a burying-ground, 
consisting of nine or ten heaps of large stones, of 
three feet in diameter, and as many in height. Un- 
der these were found a variety of little implements, 
such as arrow or spear-heads tipped with stone or 



268 POLAR REGIONS. 

iron, arrows, small models of canoes and paddles, 
some rough pieces of bone and wood, and one or 
two strips of asbestos, which, as Crantz informs us, is 
used by the natives of Greenland for the wick of 
their lamps, and for applying hot, in certain diseases, 
to the afflicted part. Under these articles were 
found smaller stones, placed as a pavement, six or 
seven feet in length, which, in the part not con- 
cealed by the larger stones, was covered with earth. 
The men had not the~ curiosity or inclination to 
dig any deeper; but a human skull was found near 
the spot. They also reported that, several miles 
inland of this, they observed stones set up as marks, 
many of which were also met with in the neigh- 
bourhood of the point. Of these marks, which oc- 
cur so abundantly in every part of the American 
coast that they visited, they could not then conjec- 
ture the probable use, but afterwards learned that 
the Esquimaux set them up to guide them in trav- 
elling from place to place, when a covering of snow 
renders it difficult to distinguish one spot from an- 
other. They found among the stones some seals' 
bones, with the flesh stiil upon them, which seemed 
to indicate that the natives had occupied this sta- 
tion during a part of the same season ; and judging 
from the number of circles collected in this place, 
and still more from subsequent knowledge of these 
people, it is probable that not less than one hundred 
and twenty persons had taken up their residence 
here at the same time. 



POLAR REGIONS. 269 



CHAPTER IV. 

Repulse Bay. — Frozen Strait. — Captain Lyon makes a Journey. — Appearance 
of the Coast. — Interview with, a Party of Esquimaux. 

The land on the northern and western sides of 
Repulse Bay does not exceed six or seven hundred 
feet in height, while that on the south rises, per- 
haps, full a thousand feet above the level of the 
sea. The shore on which they landed is composed 
of gneiss rock, traversed by broad veins of red feld- 
spar running in almost every direction. Quartz and 
mica also occurred in separate masses, as well as 
white limestone lying in loose fragments on the sur- 
face. Before they landed in the morning, the snow 
which fell the preceding day had quite disap- 
peared from the north shore, and by noon the land 
all round the bay had resumed its dark appearance. 
They saw several reindeer and hares, some ducks, 
dovekies, knots,- (tringa cinerea,) snow buntings, 
and a white owl. An ermine (erminea mustelaj a 
few ptarmigans and a hare, were killed. Mice (mus 
hudsonius) were very abundant, particularly among 
the stones of the Esquimaux tents. It cannot be 
said whether the seals' flesh remaining on some of 
the bones was any attraction to them, but it is cer- 
tain that two of them being put together into a cage, 
the larger killed the other and ate a part of it. 
Several black whales were seen in the bay in the 
course of the day. There was here no want of 
vegetation, which indeed was in many parts ex- 
23* 



270 POLAR REGIONS. 

tremely luxuriant; and specimens of every plant 
were carefully preserved. 

The latitude of this place was 66° 30'; the lon- 
gitude 86° 30'. From all indications the water 
through which they had been sailing was the hith- 
erto imperfectly known Frozen Strait, and their 
perquisitions proved that the land round Repulse 
Bay is continuous. This being determined, Capt. 
Parry resolved to keep along the land to the north- 
ward, and examine every bend or inlet which might 
appear likely to afford a practicable passage to the 
westward. 

Sailing on the 23d along the northern shore of 
Frozen Strait, it was observed that the land ap- 
peared in one place to consist of islands only, be- 
hind which no land was visible. This part of the 
coast appeared to Capt. Parry so favorable to the 
accomplishment of his enterprise, that he resolved 
to examine it more closely. Having beat up to 
the mouth of an opening that seemed practicable, he 
found the greater part of the channel filled with a 
body of ice, rendering examination in ships or 
boats impossible. The only means, therefore, of 
exploring it were, to despatch a party by land. 
Capt. Lyon undertook this service, accompanied 
by five perons, furnished with a tent and four days' 
provision. The ships were anchored to await his 
return a mile from the shore. The flood'tide came 
out of this inlet, a circumstance that materially 
strengthened their hopes of success. 

Capt. Lyon first landed on an island, and then 
crossed a strait to a steep point. Thence pro- 



POLAR REGIONS. 271 

eeeding northward to a high hill, he found the strait 
continuous, and returned to the ships. On this 
short journey he passed the remains of a great 
many Esquimaux habitations. The result of Capt. 
Lyon's excursion was to convince all concerned 
that a communication existed here between Frozen 
Strait and a sea to the northward and eastward of 
it, and Capt. Parry determined to explore it as far 
as possible. 

The rocks upon this coast, as well as those in 
the interior, are composed of gneiss, traversed oc- 
casionally by veins of quartz and feld-spar, and hav- 
ing intermixed with it much of a green substance 
which appeared to be epidote, and which they 
had not met with so abundantly anywhere else. On 
the surface of the ground, but most especially near 
the beach, were many loose pieces of limestone of a 
white color and quite sharp-edged. On the banks 
of the lakes the vegetation was quite luxuriant, giv- 
ing them, when viewed from an eminence, and as- 
sisted by bright sunshine, a cheerful and pictur- 
esque appearance. There was no snow upon the 
land, except here and there a broad thick patch in 
the hollows, where it may probably remain year 
after year undissolved ; but with the exception of 
these patches, there was nothing in the appearance 
of the country to remind one of being near the polar 
circle. Piles of stones and the remains of Esqui- 
maux habitations were everywhere to be seen, and 
one of the officers met with their marks even on 
the highest hills ; but none appeared of recent date. 
The reindeer were here very numerous. Mr Ross 



272 POLAR REGIONS. 

saw above fifty of them in the course of his walk, 
and several others were met with near the tents. 
A large one was shot by one of the men, who struck 
the animal, as he lay on the ground, a blow on the 
head with the butt-end of his piece, and leaving him 
for dead, ran towards the tents for a knife to bleed 
and skin him, when the deer very composedly got 
on his legs, swam across a lake, and finally escaped. 
A small fawn was the only one killed. Three 
black whales and a few seals were playing about 
near the beach. 

After drifting about some time in the ice, and 
more than once narrowly escaping shipwreck, mea- 
sures were taken to survey this part of the Frozen 
Strait ; but little knowledge was gained by all their 
efforts. On the 1st of September, the prospect 
of getting northward was by no means encour- 
aging; and they were, from time to time, beset 
with ice, and drifted back. On the 3d, they found 
that after a laborious investigation, which had oc- 
cupied a whole month, they had returned to nearly 
the same spot where they had been on the 6th of 
August, near Southampton Island. 

They were, at last, again enabled to return to the 
coast north of Southampton island, and finding it 
impracticable to continue the survey in the ships, 
Capt. Parry departed in a boat to learn as much as 
possible of the adjacent regions. An account of 
his progress would be a mere list of the names of 
bays, capes, and points of land ; but on this expedi- 
tion he met with a party of Esquimaux. The de- 
scription of these people will be best given in his own 
words. 



POLAR REGIONS. 273 

1 Having passed several islands on our left, we 
kept close along the northern shore, which here 
began to trend considerably to the southward of 
west. In running along the coast with a fresh and 
favorable breeze, we observed three persons stand- 
ing on a hill, and, as we continued our course, they 
followed us at full speed along the rocks. Having 
sailed into a small sheltered bay, I went up, accom- 
panied by Mr Bushnan, to meet them on the hills 
above us. In sailing along the shore we had heard 
them call out loudly to us, and observed them fre- 
quently lift something which they held in their 
hands ; but on coming up to them, they remained so 
perfectly mute and motionless, that, accustomed as 
we had been to the noisy importunities of their 
more sophisticated brethren, we could scarcely 
believe them to be Esquimaux. There was besides 
a degree of lankness in the faces of the two men, 
the very reverse of the plump, round, oily cheeks of 
those we had before seen. Their countenances at 
the time impressed me with the idea of Indian 
rather than of Esquimaux features ; but this variety 
of physiognomy we afterwards found not to be un- 
common among these people. The men appeared 
about forty and twentytwo years of age, and were 
accompanied by a good-looking and good-humored 
boy of nine or ten, They each held in their hand 
a seal skin case or quiver, containing a bow and 
three or four arrows, with a set of which they wil- 
lingly parted, on being presented with a knife in ex- 
change. The first looks with which they received 
us betrayed a mixture of stupidity and apprehen- 



274 POLAR REGIONS. 

sion, but both wore off in a few minutes, on our 
making them understand that we wished to go to 
their habitations. With this request they complied 
without hesitation, tripping along before us for above 
two miles over very rough ground, and crossing one 
or two considerable streams running from a lake into 
the sea. This they performed with so much quick- 
ness that we could with difficulty keep up with 
them, though they good-naturedly stopped now 
and then till we overtook them. We were met on 
our way by two women, from twenty to twentyfive 
years of age, having each a child at her back ; they 
too accompanied us to their tent, which was situated 
on a high part of the coast overlooking the sea. It 
consisted of a rude circular w T all of loose stones, 
from six to eight feet in diameter, and three in 
height, in the centre of which stood an upright pole 
made of several pieces of fir-wood lashed together 
by thongs, and serving as a support to the deer- 
skins that formed the top covering. Soon after 
our arrival we were joined by a good-looking modest 
girl of about eight, and a boy of five years old. Of 
these nine persons, which were all we now saw, 
only the elder man and two of the children be- 
longed to this tent, the habitations of the others 
being a little more inland. The faces of the women 
were round, plump, tattooed, and in short complete- 
ly Esquimaux. During the cursory examination of 
these people's dresses, which we had now an op- 
portunity of making, I observed nothing beyond 
the peculiarities which have been repeatedly de- 
scribed, except that the tails of the women's jackets 



POLAR REGIONS. 275 

were of unusual length as well as breadth. The 
kayak or canoe belonging to this establishment was 
carefully laid on the rocks close to the seaside, with 
the paddle and the man's mittens in readiness be- 
side it. The timbers were entirely of wood, and 
covered as usual with seal-skin. Its length was 
nineteen feet seven inches, and its extreme breadth 
two feet ; it was raised a little at each end, and the 
rim or gunwale of the circular hole in the middle 
was high, and made of whalebone. A handsome 
seal-skin was smoothly laid within as a seat, and 
the whole was sewn and put together with great 
neatness. The paddle was double, made of fir, 
and the ends of the blades tipped with bone, to 
prevent splitting. 

* The fire-place in the tent consisted of three 
rough stones carelessly placed on end against one 
side, and they had several pots of lapis ollaris, for 
culinary purposes. These people seemed to us 
altogether more cleanly than any Esquimaux we had 
before seen, both in their persons and in the inte- 
rior of their tent, in neither of which could we dis- 
cover much of that rancid and pungent smell, which 
is in general so offensive to Europeans. One in- 
stance of their cleanliness which now occured, 
deserves perhaps to be noticed, both because this is 
justly considered rather a rare quality among Esqui- 
maux, as w r ell as to show in what way they do 
sometimes exercise it. When leaving the tent, to 
return to our boats, I desired one of the seamen 
to tie the articles we had purchased into a single 
bundle, for the convenience of carrying them : but 



276 POLAR REGIONS. 

the elder of the two male Esquimaux, who watched 
the man thus employed, would not permit it to be 
done without excluding a pot, which, as he ex- 
plained by wiping the lamp-black off with one of 
his fingers, would soil a clean seal-skin jacket that 
formed part of the bundle. 

1 Among the few domestic utensils we saw in the 
tent was the woman's knife of the Greenlanders 
described by Crantz, and resembling, in its semi- 
circular shape, that used by shoe-makers in Eng- 
land. The most interesting article, however, was 
a kind of bowl exactly similar to that obtained by 
Captain Lyon from the natives of Hudson's Strait, 
being hollowed out of the root of musk-ox's horn. 
As soon as I took the cup in my hand, the boy who 
was our first companion, and had since been our 
constant attendant, pronounced the word oomingmuk, 
thus affording an additional confirmation to that 
obtained on the former voyage, of the musk-ox be- 
ing the animal described by the natives of the west 
coast of Greenland, as having occasionally, though 
rarely, been seen in that country. 

'As soon as the Esquimaux became a little more 
familiar with us, they repeatedly asked for sowik 
(iron), in answer to which we gave them to under- 
stand that they must accompany us to our boats, if 
they wished to obtain any of this precious article. 
Accordingly, the whole group set off with us on 
our return, the males keeping up with us, and the 
women a short distance behind. The whole of the 
children carried bundles of the branches of ground 
willow, which we had just before seen them bring 



POLAR REGIONS. 277 

in for their own use, and which they seemed to 
consider an article of barter that might be accepta- 
ble to us. As we returned, I noticed a quantity of 
the ledum palustre, and having plucked some of it, 
gave it to the boy to carry ; after which, though he 
very much disliked its smell, he gathered every root 
of it that we came to, and deposited it at our tents. 
This lad was uncommonly quick and clever in com- 
prehending our meaning, and seemed to possess a 
degree of good-humor and docility, which, on our 
short acquaintance, made him a great favorite among 
us. 

' We had hitherto been much pleased with our 
new acquaintance, who were certainly a good- 
humored, decent sort of people. We therefore 
loaded them with presents, and endeavoured to 
amuse them by showing them the manner of rowing 
our boats, which were hauled up on the beach. 
While the men and children were occupied in ob- 
serving this, the women were no less busily em- 
ployed, near the tents, in pilfering and conveying 
into their boots, some of our cups, spoons, and oth- 
er small articles, such as they could conveniently 
secrete. This they accomplished with so much 
dexterity, that no suspicion would have been ex- 
cited of their dishonesty, had not Mr Sherer fortu- 
nately missed a cup which w T as required for supper. 
A general search being instituted in consequence, 
and the cargo of the women's boots brought back 
to our tents, I directed all our presents to be like- 
wise taken from the two offenders; and, dismissing 
the whole party with great appearance of indigna- 
24 



278 POLAR REGIONS. 

tion, thus put an end for the present to our commu- 
nication with these people.' 

After surveying a considerable extent of coast, 
the captain returned to the ships, which he found 
completely beset. They were extricated, however, 
and continued to explore the northern shores of 
Frozen Strait, sometimes beset and sometimes in 
motion. The appearance of the land was as hither- 
to described ; the soil, the vegetable productions, 
and the animal kingdom were the same. There is 
so little variety in this part of the voyage, that it 
would be tiresome to repeat the details. 



CHAPTER V. 

Ice begins to make. — The Ships get into Winter Quarters. — Shrimps. — Foxes. 
— A Theatre opened. — Northern Lights. — Esquimaux. 

On the 1st of October, rain fell, which immedi- 
ately freezing, made the decks and ropes as smooth 
as glass. For several days the thermometer had 
been below the freezing point, and sometimes as 
low as — 20° at night, which change, together with 
the altered aspect of the land, and the rapid forma- 
tion of young ice near the shores, gave notice of 
the approach of winter. The commencement of 
this dreary season in these regions may, indeed, be 
dated from the time when the earth no longer re- 
ceives and radiates heat enough to melt the snow 
which falls upon it. 



POLAR REGIONS. 279 

On the 8th, the young ice on the surface began 
to give them warning that the navigation of those 
seas was nearly ended for the season. When the 
young ice has acquired the thickness of half an 
inch, and is of considerable extent, a ship must be 
stopped by it, unless favored by a strong and fair 
wind ; and even when making progress, is not under 
control of the helmsman, depending mostly on the 
thickness of the ice on one bow or the other. 
Boats cannot be employed in such situations with 
much effect. 

When to these difficulties were added the dis- 
advantage of a temperature near zero, and twelve 
hours of daily darkness, Capt. Parry became con- 
vinced that it was expedient to place the ships in 
the most secure situation that could be found, 
rather than run the risk of being permanently de- 
tatched from the land by attempting to gain the 
continent. Accordingly, a canal was sawed into a 
harbour on the south side of a small island, to which 
the name of Winter Island was given, and the ships 
were warped to their winter stations. Thus ended 
their operations for the season, after having explored 
a portion of coast six hundred miles in extent, one 
half of which belonged to the continent of America. 

The arrangements for passing the winter com- 
fortably were pretty much the same as those which 
had been made at Melville Island, with some im- 
provements, suggested by former experience. The 
theatre was better fitted than before, and a school 
was established for the benefit of such of the crews 
as might wish to learn to read and write. The 



280 POLAR REGIONS. 

lower deck of the Fury was fitted for a church, and 
the companies of both ships attended during the 
winter. The men were sent to walk on shore for 
exercise, whenever the weather was favorable ; and 
finger-posts were erected in various parts of the 
island, to prevent them from' losing their way. 

Before the ice had entirely shut up the sea, great 
numbers of small shrimps (cancer nugax) were ob- 
served near the surface. When any meat was put 
overboard to thaw or soak, these insects fastened 
upon it with great avidity. A goose, left fortyeight 
hours in this situation, was dissected as neatly and 
thoroughly as the most experienced surgeon could 
have done it, nothing remaining but the bare bones. 
Our navigators took advantage of the hunger of 
these depredators to procure skeletons of small 
animals for anatomical specimens, by enclosing them 
in a net through which the shrimps could have access, 
but which prevented the loss of any of the bones 
when the cartilage was eaten. 

Many white foxes were caught, in traps some- 
thing like those called box-traps. It was remarked 
that when a southerly wind had blown the scent of 
the ships over the island, more were caught than at 
any other time. So numerous were they, that no 
less than fifteen were caught in a single trap in the 
space of four hours ; one was no sooner taken out 
than another entered. Indeed they were so stupid, 
that, in several instances, those that escaped from 
the traps re-entered, and were captured as they 
had been before. 

The harbour in which the ships were moored was 



POLAR REGIONS. 281 

but an open roadstead, and they had some reason 
to fear that if the ice should get in motion during 
the winter, they might be forced on shore, or driven 
out to sea. On the 11th of November, it being the 
time of spring tides, a large crack was observed in 
the ice near the ships, which was found to extend 
a considerable distance outside them, rendering it 
probable that a complete separation might take 
place. Cables were run out, and every precaution 
was taken to prevent such an occurrence, and for- 
tunately nothing occurred to cause farther apprehen- 
sion. 

On the 11th of December, the weather being 
tolerably clear, stars of the third magnitude were 
visible to the naked eye at forty minutes past eight, 
and those of the second magnitude till a quarter 
past nine, which may give some idea of the degree 
of light at this period. The twilight was, of course, 
very long, and the redness of the sun's rays might 
be seen more than three hours after his setting. 

On the 13th, the thermometer fell to — 31°, being 
the lowest temperature yet experienced. Rising 
on the 17th to —5°, the play of The Poor Gentle- 
man w r as performed. On Christmas eve the theatre 
was again put in requisition, and the next day was 
celebrated to the utmost extent their means would 
allow. Among the luxuries of the Christmas din- 
ner were a few joints of English roast beef, which 
had been preserved expressly for the occasion, the 
first and last ever eaten in Frozen Strait. 

During the whole of this month, the displays of 
the Aurora Borealis were more frequent and splen- 
24* 



282 POLAR REGIONS. 

did than they had before noticed, but we can- 
not by description convey any adequate idea of 
them. The health of the ships' companies was re- 
markably good, only one name being found on the 
sick list, and not the slightest symptom of scurvy 
had yet appeared. To increase the allowance 
of antiscorbutics, they adopted a regular system 
of raising mustard and cress, which the warmth of 
the ships enabled them to do on a larger scale than 
at Melville Island. A crop was produced once in 
ten days, and before the arrival of spring nearly an 
hundred pounds had been procured on board each 
vessel. When it is considered how complete a 
specific for the scurvy fresh vegetable substance is, 
this circumstance will not be thought unimportant. 

The same occupations, that had employed them 
at Melville Island served to beguile the time this 
winter. Nothing material occurred till the first of 
February, unless the circumstance of seeing a white 
bear may be accounted so. 

On the 1st of February, a number of Esquimaux 
were seen coming toward the ships over the ice, 
and the appearance of huts was discovered on the 
shore with a telescope. Captains Parry and Lyon, 
with three or four others, set out to meet the natives 
who were slowly advancing, to the number of twen- 
tyfive. As the officers advanced, they stood still, 
awaiting their approach. They had no arms, but 
carried only a few strips of whalebone, which they 
had brought for a peace-offering, and which the gen- 
tlemen immediately purchased for a few small nails 
and beads. There were several women and chil- 



POLAR REGIONS. 283 

dren with the party, and the behaviour of all was 
quite peaceable and orderly. They were all hand- 
somely dressed in deerskins, and some had double 
suits. 

However quiet these savages were, they did not 
exhibit the slightest signs of apprehension or dis- 
trust. As soon as some understanding was estab- 
lished, the officers expressed a wish to visit their 
huts, and the Esquimaux readily complying, they all 
set out together. The savages were greatly astonish- 
ed on the way to see a large dog, belonging to the 
whites, fetch and carry ; and the children could 
scarcely contain their joy when Capt. Lyon gave 
them a stick to throw, and the dog brought it back 
to them. An infirm old man, who supported him- 
self with a staff, which he much needed, was left 
behind by his companions, who took no notice of 
his infirmities, but left him to find his way as he 
might, without reluctance or scruple. 

When it is remembered that these habitations 
were fully within sight of the ships, and how many 
were continually on the look-out for anything that 
could afford variety or interest, their surprise may 
in some degree be imagined at finding an establish- 
ment of five huts, with canoes, sledges, dogs, and 
above sixty men, women, and children, as regularly 
and, to all appearance, as permanently fixed, as if 
they had occupied the same spot for the whole 
winter. If the first view of the exterior of this little 
village was such as to create astonishment, that 
feeling was in no small degree heightened, on ac- 
cepting the invitation soon given, to enter these 



284 POLAR REGIONS. 

extraordinary houses, in the construction of which 
no material was used but snow and ice. After 
creeping through two low passages, having each its 
arched door-way, they came to a small circular 
apartment, of which the roof was a perfect arched 
dome. From this three door-ways, also arched 
and of larger dimensions than the outer ones, led 
into as many inhabited apartments, one on each 
side, and the other facing them as they entered. 
The interior of these presented a scene no less 
novel than interesting. The women were seated 
on the beds at the sides of the huts, each having 
her little fire-place or lamp, with all her domestic 
utensils about her ; the children crept behind their 
mothers, and the dogs, (except the female ones, 
which were indulged with a part of the beds,) slunk 
out in dismay. The construction of this inhabited 
part of the huts was similar to that of the outer 
apartment, being a dome formed by separate blocks 
of snow, laid with great regularity and no small art, 
each being cut into the shape requisite to form a 
substantial arch, from seven to eight feet high in 
the centre, and having no support whatever but 
what this principle of building supplied. We shall 
not here further describe the peculiarities of these 
curious edifices, remarking only that a cheerful and 
sufficient light was admitted to them by a circular 
window of ice neatly fitted into the roof of each 
apartment. 

They found our new acquaintance as desirous of 
pleasing them, as they were ready to be pleased ; 
so that they were soon on good terms with them 



POLAR REGIONS. 285 

all. While the visitors were engaged in examining 
every part of their huts, their whole behaviour was 
in the highest degree orderly, respectful and good- 
humored. They eagerly received the various ar- 
ticles that were given them, either in exchange for 
their own commodities, or as presents, but on no 
occasion importuned for anything, nor did the well- 
known sound of ' pilletay * once escape from them. 
There was also great reason to believe that these 
people possessed, in no ordinary degree, the quality 
of honesty. If the whites dropped a glove or a 
handkerchief without knowing it, they would im- 
mediately direct their attention to it by pointing ; 
and if the owner had left the hut before they dis- 
covered it, would run out after him to return it 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Esquimaux visit the Ships. — Wolves. — More Particulars relating to the 
Esquimaux. — Manner of constructing Snow Huts. 

After remaining with the Esquimaux a couple of 
hours, and proposing to spend the following day 
amongst them, the officers set out on their return to 
the ships. Being desirous of trying their disposition 
to part with their children, Capt. Parry proposed to 
buy. a fine lad, named Toolooak, for the very valuable 
consideration of a handsome butcher's knife. His 
father, apparently understanding the Captain's mean- 
ing, joyfully accepted the knife, and the boy ran into 



286 POLAR REGIONS. 

the hut to fetch his mittens, which seemed to be all 
that he cared for in leaving his home. He then set 
off with the Captain, in high spirits, and at first assist- 
ed in drawing the sledge they had purchased to carry 
their things ; but as he began, by their additional 
signs, more clearly to comprehend their true mean- 
ing, he gradually relaxed in his zeal to accompany 
the party ; and being afterwards overtaken by a 
number of his companions, he took an opportunity 
to slink off among some hummocks of ice, so that 
when they arrived on board, Toolooak was missing. 

On reaching the ships, these people expressed 
much less surprise and curiosity than might natural- 
ly have been expected on their first visit, which 
may, perhaps, in some measure, be attributed to 
their being in reality a less noisy kind of people than 
most of the Esquimaux to whom the whites had 
before been accustomed. Quiet and orderly, how- 
ever, as they were disposed to be, this first visit 
showed them to be as fond of merriment as their- 
countrymen are usually considered; for, on Capt. 
Lyon's ordering his fiddler up on the Hecla's deck, 
they danced with the men for an hour, and then 
returned in high glee and good humor to their 
huts. 

During their absence in the morning, a flock of 
thirteen wolves, the first yet seen, crossed the ice 
in the bay from the direction of the huts, and 
passed near the ships. These animals had accom- 
panied or closely followed the Esquimaux on their 
journey to the island the preceding day ; and they 
proved the most troublesome part of their suite. 



POLAR REGIONS. 287 

They so much resemble the Esquimaux dogs, that, 
had it not been for some doubt among the officers 
who had seen them, whether they were so or not, 
and the consequent fear of doing these poor people 
an irreparable injury, they might have killed most 
of them the same evening, for they came boldly to 
look for food within a few yards of the Fury, and 
remained there for some time. 

At an earty hour on the 2d, Capt. Parry set out 
with a large party on an excursion to the huts. 
The natives received them with great cordiality, 
though with somewhat more noisy expressions of 
pleasure than before ; and they soon began a more 
minute examination of their habitations and furni- 
ture, in which they readily assisted, except that 
they always sat very closely on the deer-skins which 
composed their beds, under which were stowed 
such articles as they were least willing or able to 
dispose of. They sold, however, a great number 
of their things without reluctance ; and it was in- 
deed astonishing to see with what eagerness they 
would, for the mere sake of change and variety, 
barter some of their most indispensable articles for 
the veriest trifles. For instance, a single sewing 
needle, of which they possessed abundance not 
much inferior to those of the whites, procured 
from them a large well-sharpened panna, or man's 
knife, made of stout iron, for which, in point of ab- 
solute utility, a hundred needles would not have 
been a fair equivalent. Various other instances of 
the same kind occurred, by which, indeed, they were 
not ultimately losers, though they certainly would 
have been so, had the intercourse ended here. 



288 POLAR REGIONS. 

The party dined in the huts, and the Esquimaux 
gladly partook of their biscuit and meat, and even 
of a little wine, which however they did not relish. 
The Captain returned on board about sunset, much 
gratified with the interesting day he had passed ; 
having laid the foundation of that perfect confidence 
and good understanding which, with little or no in- 
terruption, afterwards subsisted between the ships' 
companies and their new acquaintance. 

On the morning of the 3d, a number of the Es- 
quimaux were seen going over the ice, seal hunting, 
and they returned with four seals. It was found 
that even at this rigorous season they were depend- 
ent on their daily exertions. On the 4th, some of 
them came to the ships, and were persuaded to 
build a snow hut, for the amusement and informa- 
tion of the officers. The way these edifices are 
constructed is as follows. The work is commenced 
by cutting from a drift of hard and compact snow a 
number of oblong slabs, six or seven inches thick 
and about two feet in length, and laying them edge- 
ways on a level spot, also covered with snow, in a 
circular form and of a diameter from eight to fifteen 
feet, proportioned to the number of occupants the 
hut is to contain. Upon this foundation is laid 
a second tier of the same kind, but with the pieces 
inclining a little inwards, and made to fit closely to 
the lower slabs and to each other, by running a 
knife adroitly along the under part and sides. The 
top of this tier is now prepared for the reception 
of a third, by squaring it off smoothly with a 
knife, all which is dexterously performed by one 



POLAR REGIONS. 289 

man standing within the circle and receiving the 
blocks of snow from those employed in cutting 
them without. When the wall has attained a height 
of four or five feet, it leans so much inward as to 
appear as if about to tumble every moment, but 
the workmen still fearlessly lay their blocks of 
snow upon it, until it is too high any longer to 
furnish the materials to the builder in this man- 
ner. Of this he gives notice by cutting a hole close 
to the ground in that part where the door is in- 
tended to be, which is near the south side, and 
through this the snow is now passed. Thus they 
continue till they have brought the sides nearly to 
meet in a perfect and well-constructed dome, some- 
times nine or ten feet high in the centre ; and this 
they take considerable care in finishing, by fitting 
the last block or key-stone very nicely in the centre, 
dropping it into its place from the outside, though it 
is still done by the man within. The people out- 
side are in the meantime occupied in throwing up 
snow with the pooalleray, or snow-shovel, and in 
stuffing in little wedges of snow where holes have 
been accidentally left. 

The builder next proceeds to let himself out by 
enlarging the proposed door-way into the form of 
a Gothic arch three feet high, and two feet and a 
half wide at the bottom, communicating with which 
they construct two passages, each from ten to twelve 
feet long and from four to five feet in height, the 
lowest being that next the hut. The roofs of these 
passages are sometimes arched, but more generally 
made flat by slabs laid on horizontally. In first 
25 



290 POLAR REGIONS. 

digging the snow for building the hut, they take it 

principally from the part where the passages are to 

be made, which purposely brings the floor of the 

latter considerably lower than that of the hut, but 

in no part do they dig till the bare ground appears. 

The work just described completes the walls of 

a hut, if a single apartment only be required ; but 

if, on account of relationship, or from any other 

cause, several families are to reside under one roof, 

the passages are made common to all, and the first 

apartment (in that case made smaller) forms a kind 

of anti-chamber, from which you go through an 

arched door-way, five feet high, into the inhabited 

apartments. When there are three of these, which 

is generally the case, the whole building, with its 

adjacent passages, forms a tolerably regular cross. 

For the admission of light into the huts, a round 
hole is cut on one side of the roof of each apart- 
ment, and a circular plate of ice, three or four 
inches thick and two feet in diameter, let into it. 
The light is soft and pleasant, like that transmitted 
through ground glass, and is quite sufficient for 
every purpose. When after some time these edifi- 
ces become surrounded by drift, it is only by the 
windows, as I have before remarked, that they 
could be recognised as human habitations. It may 
perhaps then be imagined how singular is their ex- 
ternal appearance at night, when they discover 
themselves only by a circular disk of light trans- 
mitted through the windows from the lamps within. 
The next thing to be done is to raise a bank of 
snow two and a half feet high, all round the interior 



POLAR REGIONS. 291 

of each apartment, except on the side next the 
door. This bank, which is neatly squared off, 
forms their beds and fire-place, the former occupy- 
ing the sides and the latter the end opposite the 
door. The passage left open up to the fire-place 
is between three and four feet wide. The beds 
are arranged by first covering the snow with a 
quantity of small stones, over which are laid their 
paddles, tent-poles, and some blades of whalebone : 
above these they place a number of little pieces of 
net-work, made of thin slips of whalebone, and last- 
ly a quantity of twigs of birch and of the andromeda 
tetragona. Their deer-skins, which are very nu- 
merous, can now be spread without risk of their 
touching the snow ; and such a bed is capable of 
affording not merely a comfort, but luxurious re- 
pose, in spite of the rigor of the climate. The 
skins thus used as blankets are made of a large 
size, and bordered, like some of the jackets, with a 
fringe of long narrow slips of leather, in which state 
a blanket is called keipik. 

The fire belonging to each jamily consists of a 
single lamp, or shallow vessel of lapis ollaris, its 
form being the lesser segment of a circle. The 
wick, composed of dry moss rubbed between the 
hands till it is quite inflammable, is disposed along 
the edge of the lamp on the straight side, and a great- 
er or smaller quantity lighted according to the heat 
required or the fuel that can be afforded. When 
the whole length of this, which is sometimes above 
eighteen inches, is kindled, it affords a most brh\ 
liant and beautiful light without any perceptible 



292 POLAR REGIONS. 

smoke or any offensive smell. The lamp is made 
to supply itself with oil, by suspending a long thin 
slice of whale, seal, or walrus blubber near the 
flame, the warmth of which causes the oil to drip 
into the vessel until the whole is extracted. Im- 
mediately over the lamp is fixed a rude and rickety 
frame-work of wood, from which their pots are sus- 
pended, and serving also to sustain a large hoop 
of bone, having a net stretched tight within it. This 
contrivance, called Innetat, is intended for the re- 
ception of any wet things, and is usually loaded 
with boots, shoes, and mittens. 

The fire-place just described as situated at the 
upper end of the apartment, has always two lamps 
facing different w T ays, one for each family occupying 
the corresponding bed-place. There is frequently 
also a smaller and less-pretending establishment on 
the same model — lamp, pot, net and all — in one of 
the corners next the door ; for one apartment 
sometimes contains three families, which are always 
closely related, and no married woman, or even a 
widow without children, is without her separate 
fire-place. 

With all the lamps lighted and the hut full of peo- 
ple and dogs, a thermometer placed on the net over 
the fire indicated a temperature of 38° ; when re- 
moved two or three feet from this situation, it fell 
to 31°, and placed close to the wall stood at 23°, 
the temperature of the open air at the time being 
25° below zero. A greater degree of warmth than 
this produces extreme inconvenience, by the drop- 
ping from the roofs. This they endeavour to obviate, 



POLAR REGIONS. 293 

by applying a little piece of snow to the place from 
which.a drop proceeds, and this adhering, is for a 
short time an effectual remedy ; but for several 
weeks in the spring, when the w T eather is too warm 
for these edifices, and still too cold for tents, they 
suffer much on this account. 

From the celerity with which the Esquimaux per- 
formed these operations, the surprise of the officers, 
at the sudden appearance of the snow village ceased, 
as they now saw that two or three hours were more 
than sufficient to complete the whole establishment, 
as they had at first found it. 

The operatives were taken on board and derived 
great amusement from an organ, and from anything 
in the shape of music, singing, or dancing, — of all 
which they are remarkably fond. Nor can we here 
omit a striking instance of the honesty of these 
people, which occurred this day. Some of the 
gentlemen of the Hecla had purchased two of their 
dogs, which had the preceding evening made their 
escape and returned to the huts. After the depar- 
ture of the Esquimaux this day, they were surprised 
to find that they had left two dogs carefully tied up 
on board the Fury, which on inquiry proved to be 
the animals in question, and which had been thus 
faithfully restored to their rightful owners. 



25' 



294 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER VII. 

Esquimaux. — Musical Concert. — An Esquimaux whipped for Theft. — Starva- 
tion. — Captain Parry accompanies a Sealing Party. 

On the 5th, a number of the natives came on 
board according to promise to rebuild the hut in a 
more substantial manner, and to put a plate of ice 
into the roof as a window, which they did with 
great quickness as well as care, several of the wo- 
men cheerfully assisting in the labor. The men 
seemed to take no small pride in showing in how 
expeditious and workman-like a manner they could 
perform this ; and the hut with its outer passage 
was soon completed. From this time they were in 
the constant habit of coming freely to the ships ; 
and such as it was not always convenient to admit, 
usually found very profitable employment in ex- 
amining the heaps of ashes, sand, and other rubbish 
on the outside, where their trouble was well repaid 
by picking up small scraps of tin or iron. All that 
they found in this manner they were allowed to 
consider their lawful property ; but the officers 
were very particular in preventing their handling 
anything on board without permission. 

The wolves had now begun to do some damage ; 
for not even the sails that were fastened round the 
house and observatory could escape their ravenous 
fangs, and they had thus in the course of a single 
night much injured two studding-sails. Traps were 
set for them on the ice ; and also large shark-hooks 



POLAR REGIONS. 295 

secured with chains and baited with meat ; but the 
former they entered and destroyed, and the latter 
were always found broken or bent, without securing 
the depredators. These animals were indeed so 
hungry and fearless as to take away some of the 
Esquimaux dogs in a snow-house near the Hecla's 
stern, though the men were at the time within a 
few yards of them. 

From the circumstance of Captains Lyon and 
Parry having accidentally gone into different huts 
on their first visits to the village, (for with this name 
we believe we must venture to dignify the united 
abodes of more than sixty human beings,) particular 
individuals among the Esquimaux had already in a 
manner attached themselves to each of them. 

On the 7th, Capt. Parry paid another visit to the 
huts, where he found scarcely anybody but women 
and children, all of the men, with the exception 
of the two oldest, having gone on a sealing excur- 
sion to the northeastern side of the island. One 
of the women named Iligliuk, a sister of the lad 
Toolooak, who favored him with a song, had a re- 
markably soft voice, an excellent ear, and a great 
fondness for singing ; for there was scarcely any 
stopping her when she had once begun. The 
Captains had, on their first visit to the ships, re- 
marked this trait in Iligliuk's disposition, when she 
was listening for the first time to the sound of the 
organ, of which she seemed never to have enough ; 
and almost every day she now began to display 
some symptom of that superiority of understanding 
for which she was remarkably distinguished. A 



296 POLAR REGIONS. 

few of the women learned several of the visiters' 
names, and we believe all thought them Angekoks or 
sorcerers of a very superior class, when they re- 
peated to them all round, by the assistance of 
books, the names of all their husbands, obtained on 
board the preceding day. On the way back to the 
ships, they saw a party of them, with their dogs, 
returning over the hill from the northeastward ; and 
afterwards met another of eight or ten who had 
walked round by the southeast point on the ice, all alike 
unsuccessful, after being out in the wind for six 
hours with the thermometer from 18 to 22 degrees 
below zero. Thus hardly did these people obtain 
their daily subsistence at this severe season of the 
year ! 

On the 8th, the ships were visited by a musical 
party of females, w r ho had been specially invited 
for the purpose. The officers assembled in the 
Fury's cabin to hear them, and the notes of their 
songs were taken down. They were in their turn 
entertained with a concert of flutes and violins, with 
which they were delighted to extasy. It would 
appear that these people have generally a great 
musical susceptibility, which is not the case with 
the hunting savages of the new continent. 

Finding that these poor creatures were really in 
want of food, Captain Parry supplied them with a 
few pounds of bread dust, which, however hungry 
themselves, they did not eat, but took home to their 
children. 

As yet none of the Esquimaux had learned to 
beg, with the exception of one old man. He had 



POLAR REGIONS. 297 

become extremely troublesome ; and one day steal- 
ing a nail, Captain Parry took advantage of the cir- 
cumstance, which he magnified into a grave offence, 
to get rid of him. Calling all the other Esquimaux 
on board together, and having in their presence 
expressed the utmost indignation, he turned the 
offender out of the ship in disgrace. Among those 
present were the son and daughter of the culprit, 
who did not in the slightest degree appear to con- 
sider themselves implicated in their father's offence,, 
or concerned in his shame. 

The Esquimaux hunted diligently for seals, but 
having no success, they were reduced to great ex- 
tremities. It must be remembered that any failure 
in sealing involves them in a double calamity, for it 
not only deprives them of food, but of fuel for their 
lamps. When this is the case, not to mention the 
absence of warmth and light from their huts, they 
are also destitute of the means of melting snow for 
drink, and can only quench their thirst by eating 
the snow, which we know by experience to be a 
wretched resource. In consequence of this priva- 
tion the quantity of water drank by those who 
visited the ships was astonishing ; the coppers could 
scarcely supply the demand. One of them drank 
a gallon in less than two hours. Captain Parry hu- 
manely provided them with food, but this did not 
hinder them from devouring the raw, frozen car- 
cass of a wolf, which had been shot from the Hecla. 
In all this suffering it was pleasing to observe that 
none of them would touch a morsel till they had 
first fed their hungry little ones. 



298 POLAR REGIONS. 

On the 11th the thermometer stood at from — 26° 
to — 30°. Notwithstanding the rigor of the weather, 
some of the Esquimaux came on board ; indeed no 
degree of cold seemed sufficient to confine these 
people at home. 

In the morning of the 12th, two of the savages 
came on board the Hecla. The stage and scenery 
had just been set up, and they w T ere directed to 
invite their fellows to come and see it. Coming 
three or four hours before * John Bull ■ was to com- 
mence, they began to grow impatient, especially 
after dark, when the candles were brought, and the 
men returned to their huts. They remained long 
enough, however, to have a peep at Mrs Brulgrud- 
dery, whose dress they very eagerly examined, 
when they were told that it was a kabloona nou^ee-o, 
or white woman. 

On the next day, our savage friends were so for- 
tunate as to kill three seals, an event that created 
an exceeding great joy in the village. There was 
a general outcry ; the women hurried to the doors 
of the huts, and the children rushed to the beach 
to assist the men to drag their prizes along. One 
of these urchins, to complete the triumph, threw 
himself upon a seal, and clinging fast to it, was thus 
dragged to the huts. Each woman brought her 
cooking- pot to the wigwam where the animal was 
dissected in order to get a portion of the meat and 
blubber. This evening a wolf, being the third 
taken, was entrapped. 

Early on the morning of the 16th, Capt. Parry 
joined a party of Esquimaux, who were going in 



POLAR REGIONS. 299 

quest of seals. Having attained a suitable distance 
from the shore, they separated into two or three 
different parties stationed at the distance of half a 
mile from each other, along the edge of the floe, be- 
yond which, to the eastward, there was clear water 
as far as could be seen for the frost smoke. 

The party Capt. Parry joined were seated on 
a high hummock of ice, looking out for seals, 
with their spears in their hands. Suddenly, one of 
them, named Okotook, sprung up, and started along 
the edge of the ice, without giving the least intima- 
tion of his intentions. His companions, however, 
seemed so well aw r are of them, that they immedi- 
ately followed him, and the Captain did the same ; 
the whole party walking very fast, and the native 
looking attentively seaward for seals. After being 
thus engaged for more than an hour, Captain Parry 
judged, from the motions of a party at a distance, 
that they had a seal in view. As he approached 
them, Okotook began to be apprehensive that the 
Captain, who did not understand the matter, might 
spoil the sport. To prevent this, he did the most 
civil thing he could imagine, which was to send his 
companions one by one to the spot, while he re- 
mained himself with the Captain, and took care to. 
keep him at a distance whence he could see the 
proceedings without alarming the animal they pur- 
sued. The other Esquimaux, forming one party, 
disposed themselves in single file so as to present 
as small a front as possible in the direction in which 
they were going, and in this manner they crept 
cautiously toward the margin of the floe. On a 



300 POLAR REGIONS. 

sudden they all stooped quite low, to hide them- 
selves, and so continued a quarter of an hour, dur- 
ing which they arranged their lines and spears, and 
then when the seal was intercepted from their view, 
gained a few paces upon him in the same cautious 
manner as before. When they had been thus oc- 
cupied a full hour, the seal, which had been lying 
upon the ice, plunged into the water, and they gave 
up the chase. All this time Okotook could scarce- 
ly restrain his impatience, which could only be di- 
minished by permitting him to look through a spy- 
glass. When he saw for what it was intended, he 
had no words to express his surprise and satisfac- 
tion. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Danger of the Seal Hunters. — A Seal Hole. — Manner of Watching Seal 
Holes. — Manner of Catching Seals and Walrusses. — Another Instance of 
Theft. — Ferocity of the Wolf. — Esquimaux Dwellings. — Seals killed. — 
Seal Butchery.— Seals. 

As soon as the party had given up the seal they 
had been watching, they turned their steps home- 
ward, whither, it being in the direction of the ships, 
Captain Parry was not sorry to accompany them. 
They were at this time three or four miles from the 
vessels, and full a mile and a half from the shore. 
In the open water beyond the floe the tide was , 
running at the rate of two miles an hour, and a 
sheet as substantial as that on which they stood had 



POLAR REGIONS. 301 

been carried away by the stream. Capt. Parry was 
not without some apprehension that they might be 
detatched from the shore, and carried to sea, an 
accident which has often happened to Esquimaux, 
and has probably often befallen them wdien none 
survived to tell the tale. 

As they returned toward the shore, they came to 
a small rising on the level surface of the ice, not 
larger than a mole hill, at which one of the Esqui- 
maux instantly stopped* His companions called 
Capt. Parry away, explaining that what he saw was 
the work of a seal, and that it was probable the an- 
imal would finish the hole and come upon the ice, 
in which case the man who had stopped would try 
to kill it. The Captain watched him for half an 
hour, and observed him frequently putting his ear 
to the ice, as if in the act of listening for the s£aJ, 
but without otherwise changing his posture. He 
was not successful. 

If, however, an Esquimaux has strong reason to 
believe that a seal is at work beneath, he attaches 
himself to the spot, and seldom leaves it till he has 
killed the animal. For this purpose, he builds a 
wall of snow about four feet in height, to shelter 
him from the wind, and, seating himself under the 
lee of it, deposits his spear, lines, and other imple- 
ments upon several little forked sticks inserted into 
the snow, in order to prevent the smallest noise be- 
ing made in moving them when wanted. But the 
most curious precaution to the same effect consists 
in tying his own knees together with a thong, so 
securely as to prevent any rustling of his clothes, 
26 



302 POLAR REGIONS. 

which might otherwise alarm the animal. In this 
situation, a man will sit quietly sometimes for hours 
together, attentively listening to any noise made by 
the seal, and sometimes using the keip-kuUuk, an in- 
strument hereafter to be described, in order to ascer- 
tain whether the animal is still at work below. When 
he supposes the hole to be nearly completed, he 
cautiously lifts his spear, to which the line has been 
previously attached, and as soon as the blowing of 
the seal is distinctly heard, and the ice consequent- 
ly very thin, he drives it into him with the force of 
both arms, and then cuts away with his panna the 
remaining crust of ice, to enable him to repeat the 
wounds and get him out. The neitiek is the only 
seal killed in this manner, and being the smallest, is 
held while struggling, either simply by hand, or by 
putting the line round a spear with the point stuck 
into the ice. For the oguke, the line is passed 
round the man's leg or arm ; and for a walrus, round 
his body, his feet being at the same time firmly set 
against a hummock of ice, in which position these 
people can from habit hold against a very heavy 
strain. Boys of fourteen or fifteen years of age 
consider themselves equal to the killing of a neitiek, 
but it requires a full-grown person to master either 
of the larger animals. 

On the 17th, a number of the Esquimaux coming 
to the ships during divine service, were not admitted, 
and they were given to understand that they must 
refrain from visiting every seventh day. They ac- 
quiesced cheerfully in this arrangement ; indeed, it 
is difficult to conceive greater docility than they 
evinced on all occasions. 



POLAR REGIONS. 303 

On the 20th, -an Esquimaux woman stole one of 
the cooper's tools, which was the second instance 
of theft observed among these people. It may be 
doubted if the whites were not as much to blame as 
the Indians, for leaving temptations in their way, 
which it was scarcely possible they should with- 
stand ; nevertheless, Captain Parry thought it ex- 
pedient to go through the same ceremony as on the 
former occasion, and dismissed the women with 
every manifestation of indignation. 

The ships' companies had more than one oppor- 
tunity to observe the extreme ferocity of the wolves* 
One of them being caught in a trap, a party of the 
officers went to secure him, and fired two balls into 
the trap at once, to despatch him. Finding that after 
this he continued to bite at a sword that was thrust 
into the trap, a third shot was fired at him. The 
trap was then opened sufficiently to tie his hind legs 
together, after which he was pulled out. As soon 
as he was clear of the enclosure, he sprung furious- 
ly at the throat of one of the officers, and would 
have done him a serious mischief, had he not, in 
his turn, seized the animal firmly by the neck, 
squeezing him with both hands with all his force. 
This made the wolf relinquish his first attempt, and 
the officer only suffered by one bite in his arm and 
another in his knee. The wolf then ran and es- 
caped, though two of his legs were tied together. 
The following day he was found dead, three quar- 
ters of a mile from the ships. 

At another time, an officer observing an Esqui- 
maux dog attacked by several wolves, went to the 



304 POLAR REGIONS. 

spot with his gun, but arrived too late. The wolves 
had made so quick a division of their prey, that 
though he arrived in a few minutes, only one of the 
hind legs remained, each wolf having ran off with 
his share. 

Captain Lyon remarked that an eclipse of the 
sun, which took place on the 20th, created great 
consternation among the Esquimaux. Two of them 
were found on the ice, lying on their faces ; but their 
solution of the phenomenon could not be ascer- 
tained. 

On the 23d, Captain Parry again visited the Es- 
quimaux huts. They had changed their appearance 
since his first visit : the roofs were blackened with 
the smoke of the lamps ; and the warmth had in 
most parts given them a glazed and honey-combed 
surface ; indeed, the whole of the walls had be- 
come much thinner by thawing, so that the light 
was more plainly visible through them. The snow 
also, on which the lamps stood, was considerably 
worn away, so as to destroy, in a great measure, the 
regularity of the original plan of construction. To 
these changes might be added that of a vast quan- 
tity of blood and oil, which now defaced the purity 
of the snowy floor, and emitted effluvia not very 
agreeable to European nostrils ; so that, upon the 
whole, it may be imagined that the first impressions 
of the comfort and cleanliness of these habitations 
were more favorable than their present state was 
calculated to excite. 

To the original apartments they had now also 
added various smaller places for stores, communi- 
cating with the huts from within, and looking some- 



POLAR REGIONS. 305 

thing like our ovens, though without any door to 
them. In some of these they deposited their up- 
per jackets, which they usually take off in coming 
into their huts, as we do a great coat ; while in 
smaller ones, like little shelves in a recess, they 
kept various articles of their Kabloona riches. 
These and similar alterations and additions they 
were constantly making throughout the winter ; 
for their inexhaustible materials being always at 
hand, it required but little time and labor to adopt 
any arrangement that might suit their convenience. 
After distributing a number of presents in the 
first four huts, Capt. Parry found, on entering the 
last, that an Esquimaux had been successful in bring- 
ing in a seal, over which two elderly women were 
standing, armed with large knives, their hands and 
faces besmeared with blood, and delight and exul- 
tation depicted on their countenances. They had 
just performed the first operation of dividing the 
animal into two parts, and thus laying open the in- 
testines. These being taken out, and all the blood 
carefully baled up and put into the ootkooseek, or 
cooking-pot, over the fire, they separated the head 
and flippers from the carcass, and then divided the 
ribs. All the loose scraps were put into the pot 
for immediate use, except such as the two butchers 
now and then crammed into their mouths, or dis- 
tributed to the numerous and eager bystanders for 
still more immediate consumution. Of these mor- 

JC 

sels the children came in for no small share, every 
little urchin that could find its way to the slaughter- 
house, running eagerly in, and, between the legs of 

26* 



306 POLAR REGIONS. 

the men and women, presenting its mouth for a 
large lump of raw flesh, just as an English child of 
the same age might do for a piece of sugar-candy. 
Every now and then also a dog would make his 
way towards the reeking carcass, and when in the 
act of seizing upon some delicate part, was sent off 
yelping by a heavy blow with the handles of the 
knives. When all the flesh is disposed of, for a 
portion of which each of the women from the other 
huts usually brings her ootkooseek, the blubber still 
remains attached to the skin, from which it is sepa- 
rated the last; and the business being now com- 
pleted, the two parts of the hide are rolled up and 
laid by, together with the store of flesh and blub- 
ber. During the dissection of their seals, they have 
a curious custom of sticking a thin filament of skin, 
or of some part of the intestines, upon the fore- 
heads of the boys, who are themselves extremely 
fond of it, it being intended, as was afterwards 
ascertained, to make them fortunate seal-catchers. 

The seals which they take during the winter are 
of two kinds, the neitiek, or small seal (phoca his- 
pida), and the oguke, or large seal (phoca harbata). 
These and the ei-u-ek, or walrus, constitute their 
means of subsistence at this season ; but, on this 
particular part of the coast, the latter are not very 
abundant, and they chiefly catch the neitiek. The 
animal Capt. Parry had now seen dissected was of 
that kind, and with young at the time. A small one 
taken out of it had a beautiful skin, w T hich, both in 
softness and color, very much resembled raw silk ; 
but no inducement could make the owner part with 
it 5 he having destined it for that night's supper. 



POLAR REGIONS. 307 



CHAPTER IX. 

Health of the Esquimaux. — Their envious Disposition. — Captain Lyon's 
Journey. — Removal of Esquimaux, &c. — Captain Parry lodges with 
the Savages. 

Almost the whole of the Esquimaux were now 
affected with violent colds and coughs, occasioned 
by a considerable thawing that had lately taken 
place in their huts, so as to wet their clothes and 
bedding ; but they had as yet experienced no great in- 
crease of temperature. From the nature of their 
habitations, however, their comfort was greater, 
and their chance of health better, when the cold 
was more severe. On this account they began to 
make fresh alterations in these curious dwelling- 
places, either by building the former apartments 
two or three feet higher, or adding others, that they 
might be less crowded. In building a higher hut 
they constructed it over, and, as it were, concentric 
with the old one, which was then removed from with- 
in. It is curious to consider that, in all these 
alterations, the object kept in view was coolness, 
and this in houses formed of snow ! 

This month (February) closed with the ther- 
mometer at — 32°, and though the sun had attained 
a meridian altitude of nearly sixteen degrees, and 
remained above the horizon ten hours every day, 
no sensible effect was as yet produced on the tem- 
perature. The uniform white surface of the snow, 
on which the sun's rays have at this season to act, 



308 POLAR REGIONS. 

or rather leaving them nothing to act upon, is much 
against their first efforts to produce a thaw. 

Captain Parry had communicated to an Esqui- 
maux named Ayoket, his intention to send a party 
to the northward in the spring; and Captain Lyon 
had displayed to him all the charms of a brightly 
polished brass kettle, of greater magnitude than 
had perhaps ever entered into an Esquimaux im- 
agination, as an inducement among various others 
for him to accompany the Kabloonas in their ex- 
cursion. The prospect of such riches was a tempta- 
tion almost irresistible; but enterprise is not the char- 
acteristic of an Esquimaux, and Ayoket, the Captain 
soon began to perceive, had no fancy for the pro- 
posed trip, which all his friends persisted in saying- 
could never be accomplished. This was evidently 
to be attributed, in no small degree, to jealousy of 
any one individual among them being thus selected ; 
and the brass kettle was speedily the means of in- 
creasing the distance to ' Iligliuk's country ' from 
sixteen to twentyfour days' journey. It had long, 
indeed, been observed that this feeling of jealousy 
was easily excited among these people ; but, what 
is extraordinary, it never displayed itself (as is most 
usual) among themselves, but was entirely vented 
upon the w 7 hites, who were, though innocently, the 
authors of it. As an instance of this, a man of the 
name of Karretok refused to take from Capt. Parry 
a strong and useful pair of scissors, as a present, 
because, as he did not hesitate to say, the Captain 
had given Okotook a pike, which was more valua- 
ble. To show him that this temper was not likely 



POLAR REGIONS. 309 

to produce anything to his advantage, Capt. Parry 
took back the scissors, and, having sent him away, 
went to dinner. Going accidentally on deck an 
hour afterwards, he found Karretok still on board, 
who, having had time to reflect on his folly, now 
came with a smiling face, and begged hard for the 
scissors, which, of course, he did not get. Many 
similar instances occurred. 

To this discouragement on the part of his friends, 
was added on that of Ayoket the same wavering 
and inconstant disposition which most other sav- 
ages possess, rendering it impossible to place any 
dependence on his promises and intentions for two 
hours together. Indeed the more the scheme was 
pressed upon his attention, and the more he saw 
of the actual preparations for the journey, the less 
doubtful his intentions became ; and arrangements 
were therefore made for completing the party with- 
out him. For the reasons now given, it was equal- 
ly impossible ever to direct the attention of the Es- 
quimaux, with any hope of success, to a scheme of 
their conveying letters to the Hudson's Bay settle- 
ments. 

On the 15th, at seven A.M., Capt. Lyon and his 
party left the ship ; the thermometer being as high 
as zero, and a breeze blowing, accompanied by a 
considerable drift of snow. From the very hour of 
his departure the thermometer fell rapidly, and the 
wind increased ; till at midnight the mercury was 
at — 32°, and a hard gale blew from the northwest. 
It proved one of the most inclement possible nights 
for persons to be exposed in, and serious appre* 



310 POLAR REGIONS. 

hensions were entertained for the safety of the 
travellers. The wind and drift increased the next 
day, and the thermometer rose no higher than — 26°. 
Nevertheless, Capt. Lyon and his party returned 
safely on board. They had suffered dreadfully ; the 
faces of several were severely frost-bitten, and they 
had had great difficulty in finding their way to the 
ships. Those only who have been in similar dis- 
tress can imagine their joy on gaming a shelter 
The continuance of this weather brought the Es- 
quimaux to actual starvation, and they came to the 
vessels and begged for food with more than usual 
earnestness. We hardly need say that their call 
was heard. 

On the 2d of April, a thin sheet of bay ice, several 
miles square, had formed on the sea, where, for 
two or three days past there had been open water. 
This was occasioned by the absence of wind, and 
by the occurrence of neap tides, rather than from 
severe cold, the thermometer seldom falling below 
— '8° or —7°. The wind setting in, the main body 
of ice began to move toward the shore, and forced 
the new floe before it, squeezing it into innumer- 
able hummocks, which, being presently cemented 
together, gave an example of the manner in which 
floes full of hummocks are produced. 

Early in the morning the Esquimaux were ob- 
served to be in motion about the huts, and several 
sledges, drawn by dogs,, went off to the westward. 
On going to the village, it was found that one-half of 
the people had quitted their late habitations, taking 
with them every article of their property, and had 



POLAR REGIONS. 311 

gone over the ice, in quest of more abundant food. 
The wretched appearance which the interior of the 
huts now presented baffles all description. In 
each of the larger ones some of the apartments 
were either wholly or in part deserted, the very 
snow which composed the beds and fire-places 
having been turned up, that no article might be left 
behind. Even the bare walls, whose original color 
was scarcely perceptible for lamp-black, blood, and 
other filth, were not left perfect, large holes having 
been made in the sides and roofs, for the conve- 
nience of handing out the goods and chattels. The 
sight of a deserted habitation is at all times calcu- 
lated to excite in the mind a sensation of dreariness 
and desolation, especially when we have lately seen 
it filled with cheerful inhabitants ; but the feeling is 
even heightened rather than diminished when a 
small portion of these inhabitants remain behind, to 
endure the wretchedness which such a scene ex- 
hibits. This was now the case at the village, where, 
though the remaining tenants of each hut had com- 
bined to occupy one of the apartments, a great 
part of the bed-places were still bare, and the wind 
and drift blowing in through the holes which they 
had not yet taken the trouble to stop up. An old 
man, Hikkeiera, and his wife occupied a hut by them- 
selves, without any lamp, or a single ounce of meat 
belonging to them ; while three small skins, on 
which the former was lying, were all that they pos- 
sessed in the way of ^lankets. Upon the whole, a 
more miserable spectacle was never seen ; and it 
Seemed a charity to hope that a violent and constant 



312 POLAR REGIONS. 

cough, with which the old man was afflicted, would 
speedily combine with his age an r d infirmities to re- 
lease him from his present sufferings. Yet in the 
midst of all this he was even cheerful, nor w T as there a 
gloomy countenance to be seen at the village. Al- 
most all the men were out ; and some of them had 
been led so far to sea upon the floating and detached 
masses of ice in pursuit of walrusses, that Capt. 
Lyon, who observed their situation from the ships, 
had it in contemplation, in the course of the eve- 
ning, to launch one of the small boats to go to their 
assistance. They seemed, however, to entertain 
no apprehension themselves, from a confidence, 
perhaps, that the southeast wind might be depended 
upon for keeping the ice close home upon the shore. 
It is certain, notwithstanding, that no degree of pre- 
caution, nor any knowledge of the winds and tides, 
can render this otherwise than a most perilous 
mode of obtaining subsistence ; and it was impossi- 
ble, therefore, not to admire the fearlessness as 
well as dexterity with which the Esquimaux invari- 
ably pursued it. 

After giving the women some small presents, 
Capt. Parry told them that he intended lodging in 
the huts that night. It is a remarkable trait in the 
character of these people, that they thank a stran- 
ger hSartily for this, as well as for eating any of 
their food, but when they receive the like hospital- 
ity they show not the smallest thankfulness. At a 
wish expressed by Capt Parry, all the females, not 
excepting the oldest, assembled to entertain him 
with a concert. Neither their want of food and 



POLAR REGIONS. 313 

fuel, nor the uncertainty of obtaining any that night, 
could deprive these poor creatures of that cheer- 
fulness which seems their most prominent charac- 
teristic. 



CHAPTER X. 

Particulars respecting the Esquimaux. — Dissection of the Seal. — Prepara- 
tions for Departure. — Behaviour of a sick Savage. 

The night proved thick, with snow, and as dan^ 
gerous and disagreeable for persons adrift on float- 
ing ice as can well be imagined. If the women, 
however, spoke of their husbands, it was not with 
concern, but simply to hope they might be success- 
ful. The singing party had just broken up, when it 
was announced by the children that the men had 
killed something upon the ice. The only two men 
left at home instantly put on their outer jackets, 
harnessed their dogs, and set off to assist in bring- 
ing home the game, while the women remained 
behind in anxious suspense. At last, one of the 
men returned with the news that two walrusses had 
been taken, and brought with him as large a por- 
tion of the flesh as he could drag over the snow. 
The females became frantic ; a general shout of 
joy was heard all over the village ; they ran to each 
others' huts to communicate the intelligence, and 
hugged one another in an extasy of delight. When 
the first burst of joy had subsided, they repaired, 
27 



314 POLAR REGIONS. 

one by one, to the apartment where the first fruits 
of the hunt had been conveyed. Here they ob- 
tained enough blubber to light all their lamps, and 
a little meat for their children and themselves. 
Fresh loads arrived, mostly brought by dogs, and 
the rest by the men, who each dragged home his 
separate portion. 

Every lamp was soon swimming with oil ; the 
huts exhibited a blaze of light ; and never was there 
a scene of more joyous festivity than while the op- 
eration of cutting up the walrusses continued. One 
of the women gave up her bed to Capt. Parry, 
and contented herself with dozing away the night 
in an upright posture. He woke often in the night, 
and always found some of the Esquimaux eating. 
Some of them were thus incessantly employed 
more than three hours. Indeed, the quantity of 
food they contrive to devour almost exceeds belief. 
Long before morning the men again departed to 
renew their labors, not having slept more than 
two or three hours, thus proving that the Esqui- 
maux do not, like the red Indians, give themselves 
up to sloth in seasons of plenty, but are willing to 
take advantage of every favorable opportunity. It 
is certain that were these people less gluttonous 
(for they do not waste much) they would seldom 
know the want of food, even at the most inclement 
seasons. On a second visit to some of the huts 
Capt. Parry had an opportunity of seeing a seal 
dissected, which was a very filthy operation. An 
old woman was the mistress of the ceremony, and 
was presently up to the elbows in blood and oil. 



POLAR REGIONS. 315 

Before a knife is put into the animal, as it lies on 
its back, they pour a little water into its mouth, and 
touch each flipper and the middle of the belly with 
a little lamp-black and oil, taken from the under 
part of the lamp. What benefit was expected from 
this preparatory ceremony is not known, but it was 
done with a degree of superstitious care and seri- 
ousness, that bespoke its indispensable importance. 
As soon as this dirty operation was at an end, during 
which the numerous bystanders amused themselves 
in chewing the intestines of the seal, the strangers 
retired to their own huts, each bearing a small por- 
tion of the flesli and blubber, while the hosts en- 
joyed a hearty meal of boiled meat and hot gravy 
soup. A small boy ate at least three pounds of 
solid meat in the first three hours after the Captain's 
arrival at the huts, besides a tolerable proportion 
of soup, all which his mother gave him whenever 
he asked it, without the smallest remark of any 
kind. 

The conversation happened to fall upon the red 
Indians, a people none of these Esquimaux had 
ever seen, but with whose ferocity and hostility to 
their own nation they were well acquainted by re- 
port. When the Captain related to them the mas- 
sacre of the Esquimaux recorded by Hearne, and 
gave them to understand that the Indians spared 
neither age nor sex, it seemed to chill them with 
horror. 

By the eleventh, the ships' companies began to 
make some show of equipping the ships for sea, 
though there was, as yet, but little prospect of a 



316 POLAR REGIONS. 

speedy departure. The boats were repaired, the 
snow was cleared away from about the ships, and 
other preparations were made. They also began 
to turn up a small piece of ground for a garden, 
hoping to produce something in the way of vegeta- 
ble diet before removal, especially as they were 
supplied with glazed frames for hot beds. There 
was not, however, a bare spot to be seen, and it 
was necessary to clear away two or three feet of 
snow, in order to find a space fit for the purpose ; 
and the earth was then so full of stones and frozen 
ground that it required great labor to prepare 
mould enough even for the frames. They were 
nevertheless completed, and sown with mustard, 
cress and pease. Yet it soon became evident that 
the climate was too rigorous to be contended with. 
A register thermometer left twentyfour hours under 
the frames ranged from 25° to 100°, they being 
closely covered with mats after sunset. The only 
water that could be procured for the seeds was by 
melting snow, and the snow-drifts frequently so 
covered the frames that the labor of half a day was 
often requisite, after the snow had fallen, to remove 
it so as to admit the light. 

It was suggested that, strongly as the ice was 
now cemented about the ships, they might, by cut- 
ting a trench round their bows to the depth of three 
or four feet, and taking care not to admit the water, 
have an opportunity to examine the planks and caulk 
the seams where they most required it. The plan 
was adopted, and was found to answer the purpose 
for which it was intended, completely. 



POLAR REGIONS. 317 

On the morning of the 16th, Capt. Lyon again 
set out on a journey of discovery, by land. They 
found the passage between the island and the con- 
tinent from one to two miles broad, and that the 
nature of the ice would not admit of cutting off any 
of the distance to be travelled between the island 
and the northeastern point of land. 

The snow on shore was now diminishing from 
day to day, yet so slowly that it was necessary to 
make a mark on some stone, to be assured that it 
was receding. Ravens made their appearance and 
the clouds seemed to indicate that the moisture of 
the atmosphere was returning. 

Our friend Okotook being attacked by an inflam- 
mation of the lungs, was taken on board the Hecla, 
and put under the surgeon's hands. His confidence 
in the skill of this gentleman was soon shaken by 
the pain caused by the application of a blister. 
It was amusing to see him take physic for the first 
time in his life. He knew its taste was not pleas- 
ant, but this was not all he dreaded, for before he 
put the cup to his lips with one hand, he held 
his wife fast with the other, and she held by him, 
as if they both expected some explosion, as its im- 
mediate effect ; nor did he relinquish his grasp till 
the taste left his palate. The quantity of water he 
drank was beyond conception ; the cabin fire scarce- 
ly melting snow enough for him. His wife showed 
much affection and solicitude respecting the effects 
of his dose, not being able to comprehend that one 
pain was to be removed by inflicting another. 

Capt. Lyon being desirous of having some little 
27* 



318 POLAR REGIONS. 

clothes made as models of the Esquimaux costume, 
and thinking Iligliuk's (the wife of Okotook) present 
leisure afforded her a good opportunity of making 
them, obtained her promise that she would do so. 
Okotook being now very much better, and she hav- 
ing herself resumed her usual gaiety in consequence, 
the Captain pressed her to commence her work, 
and placed the skins before her, when she said that 
she could not do them here, "as she had no needles. 
These being supplied her, she now complained of 
having no tooktoo e-walloo, (reindeer sinew,) their 
usual thread. This difficulty, unfortunately for 
Iligliuk's credit, was as easily overcome as the 
other ; and when scissors, pattern-clothes, and all 
the other requisites were laid before her, she was 
at length driven to the excuse, that Okotook's ill- 
ness would not permit her to do it. Seeing the 
Captain half laughing at the absurdity of these ex- 
cuses, and half angry at the selfish indolence which 
prompted them, she at last flatly asserted, that 
Okotook desired her not to work, which, though 
he knew it to be a falsehood, the latter did not 
deny. The officers then supposed that some su- 
perstition might be at the bottom of this ; but having, 
a little while after, by way of experiment, thrown 
Iligliuk some loose beads upon the table, she eager- 
ly employed herself for half an hour in stringing 
them that not one might be lost; which proved, 
that where her own gratification or interest was 
concerned, Okotook's illness was not suffered to 
interfere. This anecdote shows, in a strong light, 
that deep-rooted selfishness, common to this peo- 



POLAR REGIONS. 319 

pie. The fact was, that she did not feel inclined 
so far to exert herself as to comply with Capt. 
Lyon's request ; and the slight degree of gratitude 
and proper feeling, which was requisite to overcome 
that, disinclination, was altogether wanting. 

Two Esquimaux women, coming on board, were 
invited into the cabin. It was observed that it re- 
quired unusual solicitation to make them go near 
Okotook, or even to the side of the cabin where he 
was. They however talked freely with him from 
the other side, while he lay concealed behind a 
screen. After they were gone, it was found that 
this unfortunate though well-intended visit had oc- 
casioned great distress to the patient, who talked 
incessantly about having been seen by one of them, 
which, it seems, ought not to have happened. We 
know not what misfortune he apprehended in con- 
sequence, but he spoke of it with agony, and was 
evidently agitated by some powerful though absurd 
superstition respecting the circumstance ; but the 
next day he entirely recovered his gaiety. 



CHAPTER XL 

Captain Lyon's Journey. — Departure of the Esquimaux. — Progress of the 
Season. — The Ships put to Sea. — Description of Winter Island. — Ca- 
taract on Barrow's River. — Walrusses killed. — The Ships reach Igloo- 
lic. — Igloolic and other Islands. — Strait of the Fury and Hecla. 

The caulking of the bows being now completed, 
the ships were released from the ice by sawing 



320 POLAR REGIONS. 

round them ; an operation which made them rise in 
the water six inches and a half, in consequence of 
the buoyancy occasioned by the winter's expendi- 
ture. 

An increased extent of open water appearing in 
the offing, Capt. Lyon again departed, accompanied 
by nine persons, with a tent, fuel, and provisions for 
twenty days. Each individual was furnished with 
a light sledge, to draw his provision and baggage, 
which might weigh about an hundred pounds. Their 
instructions were, after gaining the continent to 
proceed along the coast and examine it, and to 
make observations respecting the tides and the 
natural productions of the country. 

He set out on the 8th of May, and rested on the 
9th at a low, rocky point, which he called Point 
Belford. Proceeding northward, he had given the 
following names successively to different parts of 
the coast, viz. Blake's Bay, Adderly's Bluff, Palmer 
Bay, Point Elizabeth, and Cape William ; when, 
finding his provision and fuel half expended, he 
judged it prudent to return. 

On the 23d, the Esquimaux, who had long, as they 
said, been about to depart, set off in earnest, with 
all their goods and chattels, including a parting gift 
from Capt. Parry. He had scarcely made these 
presents, when he had reason to fear that the sud- 
den influx of wealth would produce fatal effects, 
especially upon the women, whose joy threw them 
into immoderate fits of laughter, which were fol- 
lowed by floods of tears. The men also were 
thankful, though less noisy in their acknowledg- 
ments. When all was ready, they started. Flocks 



POLAR REGIONS. 321 

of birds now began to give token of returning 
summer, and, on the 25th, some Esquimaux, who 
came from an encampment to the westward, re- 
ported having seen a great many reindeer. Yet 
at the close of May it was matter of general regret 
that there was little prospect of the departure of 
the ice, and that few indications of a thaw had been 
observed. The navigators could not fail to re- 
member that at Melville Island, though so much 
farther north, the season had, on the same day two 
years before, advanced full as far as now at Winter 
Island. The parts of the land which were most 
bare were the smooth, round tops of the hills, on 
some of which were little pools of water. There 
were also, on the low lands, a few dark, uncovered 
patches, looking, in the snow, like islets in the sea. 
Vegetation' seemed striving to commence, and a 
few tufts of saxifrage oppositifolia, when closely 
examined, discovered some signs of life. Such 
was the state of things on shore : upon the ice ap- 
pearances were as unpromising. Except in the 
immediate vicinity of the ships, where from incessant 
trampling, and the deposit of various stores upon 
the ice, some heat had been absorbed artificially, 
there was no perceptible sign of dissolution on the 
upper surface, where six or seven inches of snow 
yet remained on every part. In these circumstances, 
Capt. Parry resolved to try what could be done to 
release the ships by cutting and sawing. Arrange- 
ments were, therefore, made for getting everything 
on board, and for commencing this laborious work. 
The operation began on the 3d of June, and was 



322 POLAR REGIONS. 

completed in sixteen days, by severe and perseve- 
ring labor. In the mean while, Nature seemed un- 
willing to lend our mariners any aid : the dissolu- 
tion of the ice was so slow as scarcely to be per- 
ceptible. However, it was so weakened by the 
cut made, that the first pressure from without ef- 
fected a rupture, so that a favorable breeze only 
was needed to enable the ships to put to sea. On 
the 2d of July, the wind, for the first time became 
fair, and the ships sailed. 

Winter Island is ten miles and a half in length, 
from N. W. by N. to S. E. by 8., and its average 
breadth from eight to ten miles. It is what sea- 
men call rather low land ; the height of the S. E. 
point, which was named Cape Fisher, out of re- 
spect to the chaplain and astronomer, being seven- 
tysix feet, and none of the hills above three times 
that height. The outline of the land is smooth, 
and in the summer, when free from snow, presents 
a brown appearance. Several miles of the north- 
west end of the island are so low and level, that, 
when the snow lay thick upon it, our travellers 
could only distinguish it from the sea by the absence 
of hummocks of ice. 

The basis of the island is gneiss rock, much of 
which is of a grey color, but in many places also 
the feldspar is so predominant as to give a bright and 
red appearance to the rocks, especially about Cape 
Fisher, where also some broad veins of quartz are 
seen intersecting the gneiss ; and both this and the 
feldspar are very commonly accompanied by a 
green substance, which appeared to be pistacite, and 



POLAR REGIONS. 323 

which usually occurs as a thin lamina adhering 
strongly to the others. In many specimens these 
three are united, the feldspar and quartz displaying 
tolerably perfect crystals. In some of the gneiss 
small red garnets are abundant, as also in mica- 
slate. In lumps of granite, which are found de- 
tached upon the surface, the mica sometimes oc- 
curs in white plates, and in other specimens is of a 
dirty brown color. There are several varieties of 
mica-slate, and some of these have a brilliant me- 
tallic appearance, like silver ; those which are most 
so, crumble very easily to pieces. The most com- 
mon stone next to those already mentioned is lime, 
which is principally schistose, and of a white color. 
Many pieces of this substance, on being broken, 
present impressions of fossil-shells, and some have 
also brown waved lines running quite through them. 
Nodules of flint occur in some masses of lime, but 
they are not common. Iron pyrites is found in 
large lumps of black stone, tinged externally with 
the oxyde of iron : it is here and there met with in 
small perfect cubes. 

Sailing northward along the coast, the ships were 
soon stopped by the ice. While they remained 
stationary, a party of natives were discovered on 
shore, who proved to be their neighbours of Winter 
Island. They were cordially greeted by the officers 
and seamen as old acquaintances, and loaded with 
presents. On leaving the ships, one of them sent 
Capt. Parry a piece of seal skin as a present, with- 
out the least prospect or expectation of a return. 
We mention this trifling incident, merely because it 



324 POLAR REGIONS. 

was the first and only undeniable proof of gratitude 
observed among these people. 

Slowly and painfully our navigators pursued their 
course northward, always with difficulty and often 
with great danger. On the 12th of the month, they 
discovered the mouth of a considerable river, and 
Capt. Parry went on shore to examine it. The 
water was fresh, and the stream varied in breadth 
from four hundred yards to the third of a mile. 
After ascending a mile and a half, the Captain heard 
the roar of a waterfall. At the mouth, the banks of 
the river were about two hundred feet high, but here 
they rose much higher, and the water ran on a more 
elevated level. As Capt. Parry proceeded inland, he 
found the stream rushing with great fury over two 
small cataracts. Then turning a right angle of the 
river, he perceived a greater spray, occasioned by a 
very magnificent fall. Where the stream begins its 
descent it is contracted to the breadth of one hun- 
dred and fifty feet, the channel being worn in a 
solid bed of gneiss rock. After falling about fifteen 
feet, at an angle of thirty degrees, the river is again 
narrowed to forty yards, and, as if collecting its 
strength for a great effort, is precipitated ninety feet, 
in one unbroken mass. A cloud of spray rises from 
the cataract, surmounted by an uncommonly vivid 
rainbow. The basin which receives the fall is cir- 
cular and about four hundred yards in diameter, 
rather wider than the river immediately below. 
Above the cataract, the stream winds in the most 
romantic manner imaginable among the hills, with 
a smooth and unruffled surface. To this beautiful 



POLAR REGIONS. 325 

water-course Capt. Parry gave the name of Barrow's 
River. Its entrance is in latitude 67° 18' 05", and 
longitude 81° 25' 20". 

The next day large herds of walrusses were 
seen upon the drift ice, and the boats were sent to 
kill some for the sake of the oil. The sportsmen 
found them lying huddled together, piled upon one 
another. They waited quietly to be shot, and were 
not greatly alarmed even after one or two volleys. 
They suffered the people to debark on the ice near 
them, but on their near approach displayed a some- 
what pugnacious purpose. After they got into the 
water three were struck with harpoons and kill- 
ed. When first wounded, they were quite furi- 
ous : one of them resolutely attacked Capt. Lyon's 
boat, and injured it with his tusks. Those which 
remained uninjured surrounded the wounded ani- 
mals, and struck them with their tusks ; whether to 
assist their escape, or with a hostile intention, can- 
not be ascertained. Two of the animals killed 
were females, and one weighed over fifteen hundred 
pounds, which was not considered an uncommon 
bulk. The strength of the walrus is very great. 
One of them being touched with an oar, seized it 
with his flippers, and snapped it with the utmost 
ease. Many of these animals had young ones, 
whichy when assailed, they carried off, either be- 
tween their flippers or on their backs. They were 
most easily killed with musket-balls, even after 
being struck with the harpoon, as their skins are so 
tough as to resist a whaling lance. 

On the 15th, the ships reached Igloolik, for 
28 



326 POLAR REGIONS. 

the situation of which we refer our readers to the 
map. Here they found a new band of Esquimaux, 
who proved to be the acquaintances and rela- 
tives of those of Winter Island. These people 
dwelt not in snow huts, but in tents, made of the 
skins of the walrus and seal, the former shaved 
thin enough to allow the transmission of light. 
They were clumsily made, and supported by a kind 
of tent-pole, constructed by tying bones or deer's 
horns together. The edges of the tents were kept 
down by placing stones upon them. To keep the 
whole fabric erect, a thong was extended from the 
top to a large stone at the distance of a few yards. 
These abiding places had little appearance of af- 
fording comfort or convenience. 

From these people Capt. Parry learned that 
he had unquestionably been coasting the continent. 
He then determined to attempt to penetrate a large 
inlet, stretching westward from Igloolik, which, at 
the time of his arrival, was closed by a fixed bar- 
rier of ice, and which he named The Strait of the 
Fury and Hecla. We shall not follow the naviga- 
tors in their arduous but unsuccessful efforts to 
penetrate westward at this point, as we have al- 
ready allotted more space to their adventures than 
consists with our intended limits. Suffice it to say, 
that after persevering in the attempt till the 30th 
of September, they found themselves as far from 
the attainment of their object as at first, The cold 
weather then setting in, they were compelled to lay 
the ships up at Igloolik. 

One important point was settled, however, be- 



POLAR REGIONS. 327 

/ 

yond the possibility of doubt. Finding his re- 
searches ineffectual by water, Capt. Parry under- 
took to explore the Strait of the Fury and Hecla 
by land. He found it continuous, and pursued his 
journey far enough to see the open sea beyond, 
thus proving the existence of a passage at this 
point, though it was then, and probably ever will 
be, closed by an insurmountable barrier of ice. 
Beside this result of his endeavours, the position 
of Cockburn Island, and indeed of all the lands 
adjacent to Igloolik, was ascertained, and correctly 
laid down on the map. 

Beside the Esquimaux found at Igloolik, our 
friends had the society of the savages of Winter 
Island, who rejoined them shortly after their arrival. 
We are sorry that we cannot relate the adventures 
and observations of this winter, as they are ex- 
tremely entertaining ; but as they are not important 
in their nature, we trust to be excused for omitting 
them. 

Igloolik is a low island, ten miles long and six 
broad, and exhibits the same appearance of sterility 
as the adjacent continent, excepting in places which 
have been inhabited by the natives. There, the ac- 
cumulation of animal substances has produced a 
luxuriant vegetation. In some parts there are spots 
several hundred yards in extent, covered with bright 
green moss. The whole land seems to be composed 
of innumerable fragments of thin schistose lime- 
stone, some of which contain the impressions of fos- 
sil remains, while others present the cellular structure 
usually found in madreporite. The interior is al- 



328 POLAR REGIONS. 

most an entire swamp ; but there are rising grounds, 
which, with the remains of Esquimaux habitations 
upon them, are excellent landmarks. 

East of Igloolik is a group of small islands called 
by Captain Parry Calthorpe Islands. Like almost 
all the land in this vicinity, they are low, but their 
geology differs from that of Igloolik, and in every 
respect resembles that of Winter Island, being com- 
posed of gneiss. Two of this group, however, are 
high and rugged. From the top of one of these 
there is a good view of the adjacent shores. 

The entrance of the Strait of the Fury and Hecla 
is about three miles wide, and is formed by two pro- 
jecting headlands, between which the tide rushes 
with great velocity. The south shore is high, but 
of gradual ascent, perfectly smooth, and composed 
of beautifully variegated sand-stone. Beyond the 
entrance the land is bold and mountainous. Capt. 
Parry, who it will be remembered explored the 
southern shore of the strait, states the hills to con- 
sist of grey gneiss and red granite, rising, in some 
instances, a thousand feet above the level of the 
sea. In some places lie saw slate, and in others 
sand-stone. He has left no positive data, by which 
we may determine the length of this strait ; but as 
he was rather more than a day in accomplishing 
the distance on foot, by a circuitous route, we may 
conclude that it does not exceed fifteen or twenty 
miles. From the point where his journey termi- 
nated he saw a continuous sea to the westward, 
open and unobstructed save by ice and by one 
small island. 



POLAR REGIONS. 329 

There are several islands in the Strait of the 
Fury and Hecla. On one of these (Liddon Island) 
abundance of beautifully veined clay iron-stone was 
found. The other minerals were asbestos, crystals 
of carbonate of lime, and a great variety of sand- 
stone, of which the island is formed. 

Amherst Island is fiat, and the northern part is 
formed of black slate, with strong indications of coal. 
This part of the island is utterly bare of vegetation. 
In a low cliff of black and rugged slate there is a 
beautiful and romantic grotto. The water, oozing 
through the sides and roof, has formed the most bril- 
liant stalactites, w<hich form a splendid contrast with 
the shady part of the ebon grotto behind. The 
other part of the island is of clay and limestone, on 
which there is a very scanty covering of shrivelled 
grass and moss. 

The incidents of the winter spent at Igloolik re- 
late almost exclusively to the intercourse of the 
navigators with the Esquimaux. We propose to 
give the principal results of their observations, in a 
separate chapter. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Physical Character of the Esquimaux. — Costume. — Female Avocations. — 
Sledges, Dogs, Weapons, &c. — Manner of killing Deer and Musk 
Oxen. 

The Esquimaux seen during this voyage com- 
prise nearly the whole aboriginal population of the 
northeast coast of America, from Wager River to 

28* 



330 POLAR REGIONS. 

Igloolik. They are a small race, much beneath the 
physical standard of Europeans. The tallest man 
seen by our friends was five feet nine inches and 
three quarters in height, and the tallest woman was 
five feet six inches^ but the average height was be- 
low five feet. They are deficient in muscular pow- 
er, as was proved by trials of strength with the 
seamen of the expedition. Even in the young and 
strong men the muscles are not prominent, but are 
smoothly covered, like the limbs of women. There 
is,besides,a contradiction between the different parts 
of the most robust of them ; which is, that however 
well defined the chest may be, the neck is small, 
weak, and sometimes shrivelled. They are active 
wrestlers among themselves, yet they can neither 
run nor jump, and in walking they turn their toes 
inward, like some other savage tribes. Very few 
of the men are inclined to corpulence, though dis- 
tended abdomen is universal in the tribe. The 
women are, sometimes, obese, but this is probably 
owing to their sedentary habits. The feet of both 
sexes are small and well formed. 

The necks and shoulders of the young women 
are generally well proportioned, though large. They 
cannot be said to walk, but rather to waddle, owing 
to the enormous size of their boots, which are the 
receptacles of their children and of all moveables, 
and preclude the possibility of ever learning to run 
or jump. This remark, indeed, applies to both 
sexes. 

Both sexes dress nearly alike, in the manner al- 
ready described, and probably no other would be 



POLAR REGIONS. 331 

as well adapted to their mode of life. We must 
remark, however, that in summer they commonly 
wear coats, boots and breeches of duck skins, with 
the feathers inward. Ornaments, as for instance, 
strings of foxes' teeth or plaits of hair, are worn 
exclusively by the men. The breeches of the men 
are often made of pieces of different colors ; those 
of the fair sex are invariably plain. Children, till 
they are two or three years old, wear no clothing 
whatever, but lie naked in the hoods of their mo- 
thers. At last they are stuffed into a dress of fawn's 
skin, with the jacket and breeches of one piece, 
the back part of which is left open, but a string or 
two makes all tight again. 

The boots of the soft sex are the most prepos- 
terous part of their equipment, being of such im- 
mense size as to resemble leathern sacks. They 
give a deformed as well as ludicrous appearance to 
the whole figure. The bulky part is at the knee, 
while the upper end terminates in a pointed flap, 
which covers the front of the leg, and is fastened 
with a button to the waistband of the inexpressibles. 

While speaking of the costume of the Esquimaux, 
we must not omit their manner of dressing the hair. 
The men cut it square across the forehead, and 
leave the side-locks to grow. Those who suffer it 
to grow all over the head, tie the tresses up in a 
bunch, which gives them a very singular appear- 
ance ; but most of the young men clip the crown 
quite close. The women divide their very long, 
black locks neatly on the top, and arrange them in 
two mighty pigtails, which hang down on either 



332 POLAR REGIONS. 

side, each having a piece of bone for a stiffener. 
Round this, the hair is bound by a sort of ribbon of 
skin with the hair on, so as to form a pretty spiral 
pattern, terminating in a rosette. In this, as in many 
other particulars, they differ from the women of 
Hudson's Strait. 

The women, beside making all the clothing of the 
tribe, prepare the materials, as the men consider 
their duty discharged when they have killed the 
animals whose skins are to be dressed. Delicacy 
will not permit us to describe the abominably filthy 
manner in which this operation is performed. It is 
also the part of the wife to repair her husband's 
garments, and to dry them when wet. Indeed these 
occupations fall to the women in almost all barba- 
rous communities. Cookery also is performed by 
the women. Washing is out of the question, as the 
Esquimaux think it entirely superfluous. 

One of the most primitive of their contrivances 
is their method of striking fire. It is done by striking 
together two pieces of iron pyrites : the sparks are 
received in a bag of dry moss. Another way is, by 
the friction of two pieces of wood ; but this is seldom 
practised. 

We have already spoken of the canoes of the 
Esquimaux. The article of next importance is the 
sledge. He who has a canoe and a sledge is con- 
sidered a man of property. To describe this arti- 
cle is impossible, as there are no two alike, and 
they differ both in form and material. The best 
are made of the jaw-bones of the whale, sawed into 
slips two inches thick and from six inches to a foot 



POLAR REGIONS. 333 

deep. These are the runners ; the side pieces are 
connected by means of bones, pieces of wood, or 
deer's horns, fastened across, at intervals of about 
two inches, and yield to any considerable strain* 
The general breadth of the upper part of a sledge 
is about twenty inches ; but the runners lean in- 
ward, and therefore it is greater at the bottom. 
The length of bone sledges is from four feet to 
fourteen. The skin of the walrus, when hard 
frozen, is often used for runners, being as thick as 
a board, and ten times stronger. Sometimes the 
dogs are harnessed to a rough piece of walrus 
hide, or a cake of ice, hollowed like a bowl, which 
serves very well for a time. 

The dogs by which the sledges are drawn are 
much like the English shepherd's dogs> but more 
muscular and broad chested, owing to their habits 
of hard labor. The ears are sharp and erect, and 
the whole aspect is savage. The hair is very long, 
and in winter a warm coat of fur is found under it.. 
These animals are not only useful for draught, but 
assist the Esquimaux to overcome his most formi- 
dable enemy, the polar bear. 

An Esquimaux, with three or four dogs, will not 
hesitate to attack a bear. The dogs overtake and 
keep the animal in check till their master comes 
up. When the hunter arrives, he spears the bear 
from a distance, if he can find a piece of ice to 
which he may fasten the line. If no such conveni- 
ence is at hand, he darts the unencumbered spear 
behind the bear's shoulder, and then trusts to the 
spirit of his dogs and his own activity. Springing 



334 POLAR REGIONS. 

from side to side, he avoids the wounded animal. 
If the lance drops from the wound, it is again 
thrown; but if it sticks fast, the dogs attack the bear's 
legs, while the man rushes on and despatches him 
with his knife. 

They have four kinds of spears, one of which is 
large and strong, with an ivory point, to despatch 
large animals. A lighter kind, used to take seals, 
has a loose head, which is tied to a bladder with a 
line. When this is struck into a seal, it is instantly 
liberated from' the handle, and the inflated bladder 
serves to show the course of the animal, as well as 
to impede his progress. Another similar spear has 
no appendages. The fourth and last is used to 
strike birds, }^oung animals, or fishes. It has a 
double fork at the extremity, and there are three 
other barbed ones at about half its length, diverging 
from the shaft in different directions, so that if the 
end fork should miss, some of the centre ones may 
take effect. 

Another curious contrivance to catch seals is a 
slender rod of ivory, a foot long, and as thick as a fine 
knitting-needle. Its purpose is to warn the hunt- 
er, who watches a seal hole, of the approach of his 
prey, so that he may strike without seeing or being 
seen. At the lower extremity is a small knob, like 
the head of a pin ; at the upper, is a string by which 
it is attached to the ice. The animal, in rising, 
does not perceive so small an object, but pushes it 
upward with his nose, when the hunter perceiving 
It in motion, strikes down, and secures his prize. 

The same want of wood which causes sledges to 



POLAR REGIONS. 335 

be constructed of bone compels the Esquimaux to 
make their weapons of the same material. The 
horn of the musk-ox, thinned horns of deer, and 
other bony substances are converted into bows, of 
an infinite variety of patterns. Three or four bones 
or pieces of wood are frequently put together in 
one bow, the strength of which lies in a collection 
of plaited sinews, which run along the back of the 
implement. Being quite tight, and very elastic, 
they cause the weapon, when unstrung, to bend 
the wrong way ; when bent, their united strength 
is astonishing. The general length of these bows 
is about three feet and a half. The arrows are 
short, and commonly of bone, with a stone head. 

The Esquimaux show no small ingenuity in their 
manner of killing deer. When the animal is fee ding 
on level ground, the hunter makes no attempt to 
approach ; but if rocks be near, he conceals himself 
behind them, and skilfully imitates the cry of his 
prey. Sometimes, for more complete deception, 
he draws his deer- skin coat and hood over his head, 
in order to resemble the creature he is approaching. 
He seldom shoots till the deer is within ten or twelve 
paces, and thus, with the aid of extreme patience, 
he renders his paltry weapons as effective as the fire- 
arms of white men. The musk-ox is killed in near- 
ly the same manner, and the Esquimaux arrows 
make great havoc among the feathered race. Be- 
side the modes of procuring subsistence we have 
described, there are many others which we have not 
room to notice. 



336 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

Travelling. — Marriages. — Treatment of Children. — Theology. — Honesty. — 
Beggary. — Ingratitude. — Hospitality. — Lying and Slander. — Courage. — 
The Ships return to England. 

The Esquimaux have the same rambling propen- 
sity which distinguishes the more southern Indians, 
with this difference, that they prefer the most deso- 
late and inhospitable countries to those which are 
covered with vegetation. There are no established 
settlements along a great extent of coast at which 
they may be said to have a fixed habitation ; but there 
are three or four general mustering places, at which 
they assemble at certain periods. Igloolik is one of 
these. In travelling, they depend entirely on land- 
marks ; and though they know the cardinal points, 
and are acquainted with certain particular stars, they 
care little for the presence of the sun, or whether 
the weather be clear or otherwise. The setting in 
of winter is their principal time of journeying, as 
their sledges then move easily on the snow. 

It is very common with the Esquimaux to betroth 
their children from infancy; and in consequence of 
this compact, the parties live together as man and 
wife as soon as they are inclined. Sometimes they 
select wives for themselves, and in such cases little 
regard is paid to personal beauty. Young men 
prefer young women ; but the elderly content them- 
selves with widows, as more experienced, and bet- 
ter able to provide for mutual comfort. There is 



POLAR REGIONS. 337 

no marriage ceremony, and the connexion is dissolv- 
ed at pleasure. Bigamy is common, but no instance 
was observed where a man had more than one wife. 
Divorced women are common, but they soon marry 
again. Widows who have friends, and enjoy health, 
fare as well as married women ; but the want of 
either seals their fate, and they are left to starve, with 
their children. Cousins marry, but a man never weds 
two sisters. Their most extraordinary connexion 
is by adoption, for there are few families which have 
not one or more adopted children, their own being 
at the same time adopted by others. This connex- 
ion binds the parties as firmly as the ties of blood ; 
and an adopted son, if senior to one by nature, in- 
herits the family riches : this exchange of children 
frequently takes place between those related by 
consanguinity. 

No people are fonder of their children than the 
Esquimaux. The mothers carry them naked on 
their backs, until they are good walkers, and employ 
their whole time in nursing and feeding them. The 
fathers are constantly making toys, and giving them 
all the assistance in their power. They have their 
own way in everything, and are never scolded or 
corrected. Yet this kindness is not reciprocated by 
the children, when their parents become unable to 
support themselves. 

The Esquimaux, like other savages, are supersti- 
tious. They have priests who pretend to hold in- 
tercourse with the invisible world, and thus acquire 
a certain influence over their countrymen. Capt. 
Lyon was present at a pretended interview be- 
29 



338 POLAR REGIONS. 

tween one of these jugglers and his patron spirit, 
which took place in the dark, and which proved 
that the priest was merely a ventriloquist. It would 
seem that the Esquimaux believe in a countless 
multitude of spirits, some male, and some female. 
Packimna, one of the latter, lives in a western land, 
and is the protectress of deer. There is also a large 
bear, who lives on the ice at sea, where he often 
meets the priests and converses with them. Anoth- 
er, called Nooliayoo, is the mother, protectress, and 
monopolist of marine animals, which she sometimes 
confines below, and so causes a scarcity in the upper 
world. When this is the case, the priest pretends 
to pay her a visit, in order to obtain their release. 

There are few tribes more honest than the Es- 
quimaux. They never touch each others' property 
without permission ; and on board the ships their 
scruples were the same. Some few thefts, indeed, 
took place ; but if it be considered how great a 
temptation so many articles, all of the utmost im- 
portance to them, presented, such instances will 
not weigh very heavily against their general char- 
acter. Only three of their whole number were 
considered professed thieves, and they performed 
their work so clumsily as to be instantly detected. 
In contrast with these, a great many examples of 
singular honesty might be adduced, where things 
were dropped and supposed to be lost, and yet 
were returned by these poor savages, though they 
might have retained them without incurring sus- 
picion. 

We wish we could speak as favorably of them in 



POLAR REGIONS. 339 

other respects. They are envious to a degree 
scarcely credible. The possession of an article by 
any individual is sure to draw on him the ill will of 
him who covets it. This vice naturally led to beg- 
ging, as our voyagers had constant occasion to re- 
mark- Their demands were always introduced by a 
reference to favors conferred on some other ; and it 
may not be improper to remark that the ladies are 
the most addicted to this practice. 

Gratitude, we might say, were it not for one in- 
stance already mentioned;, is absolutely unknown 
among them, by action, word, or look. No service 
rendered, no kindness shown, no gifts bestowed, 
can awaken a thankful feeling, and those who re- 
lieve their distresses are ridiculed as soon as the 
present want is supplied. Their parents receive 
no attention in their old age ; and the very food they 
eat is bestowed, not from good feeling, but because 
their hospitality is free to all. Indeed 5 , selfishness 
seems to be their predominant principle. The hus- 
band cares not for the wife in the hour of sickness or 
danger, and the wife is equally regardless of the hus- 
band- The infirm and helpless receive no attention, 
but are abandoned by the strong and active, as use- 
less burthens. Parents care so little for their chil- 
dren as to refuse them the rights of sepulture, and 
see the dogs feed on their carcasses with the utmost 
unconcern. Wo to the invalid who has no near 
relation : he or she is walled up in a snow hut, and 
left to perish without the smallest compunction. 
Children are buried with their dead mothers ; and 
none of these things excite the slightest feeling of 
remorse. 



340 POLAR REGIONS. 

Their hospitality cannot extend farther than it 
does. Strangers are received in the kindest man- 
ner, every want is removed, every accommodation is 
supplied, and they are thanked for their acceptance. 
Our voyagers found the women especially solicitous 
for their comfort, and were fully convinced, by the 
manners of their hosts, that they were welcome. 
They invariably met with the same treatment, and 
their property was scrupulously respected ; and all 
this proceeded from motives of pure hospitality, for 
the same persons wearied them by importunate 
beggary on all other occasions. As a proof of this, 
if, on the next day, they asked for the smallest ar- 
ticle, even a bit of moss, immediate payment was 
demanded. 

There is another dark shade in the character of 
these people : their envious disposition continually 
leads them into falsehood. Their lies, however, 
are confined to vilification of each other and false 
accusations of theft or other misconduct. It is but 
rarely that they speak well of one another, and as 
rarely that they persist in an untruth. In this par- 
ticular also the ladies are the most culpable, as well 
as in quarrelling and beggary. 

The men who dare to engage the terrific polar 
bear in single combat, and who trust themselves at 
sea in stormy weather on small cakes of drift ice, 
cannot be called cowardly. There is an expression 
of confidence, courage, and independence peculiar 
to the Esquimaux, which is highly striking. The 
firm step, erect person, and fearless eye, all denote 
a person accustomed to depend on his own resour- 



POLAR REGIONS. 341 

ces, and certain of their efficacy. Their habit of 
venturing to sea on pieces of loose ice, which by a 
change of wind or sudden rupture, might carry 
them to sea, confirms them in their insensibility to 
danger ; and this very indifference has been the 
death of many a man, who has left his hut in search 
of subsistence, to return no more. Their courage 
is, however, in no shape allied to ferocity. They 
have not much of the milk of human kindness, but 
their equanimity is admirable. In pain, cold, star- 
vation, disappointment, or when roughly treated, 
their good-humor is not disturbed. Few are ever 
sulky ; or if they are, it is for a short time only. If 
they are angry at neglect or punishment, in a few- 
minutes their gaiety returns, and they are as well 
disposed towards the person who affronted them as 
before. Quarrels seldom occur among them, and 
rarely, if ever, proceed to blows ; indeed the little 
instances of spite before mentioned are almost the 
only disagreements they have. The passion of re- 
venge is unheard of among them, and our voyagers 
heard of no instance of murder or warfare, or of 
any dislike to particular persons being transmitted 
from father to son. When they were informed of 
the bloodthirsty disposition of the more southern 
Indians, and when instances of their ferocity were 
related to them, they expressed the utmost horror. 

*fr *3t? w *n* *n* T? *n* •?? 

We must here conclude our account of the Es- 
quimaux, and of the voyage by which this know- 
ledge of them was obtained. 

On the 9th of August the ships ran out of their 

29* 



342 POLAR REGIONS. 

harbour, where they had been detained three hun- 
dred and nineteen days. They were so embarrass- 
ed by the ice, that little use could be made of their 
sails ; nevertheless, by the 30th of the month they 
passed Winter Island, having been carried three de- 
grees by the drift in which they were beset. On 
the 9th of October, they made the Orkney Islands, 
and on the 10th reached Lerwick in Shetland, where 
they were received with many congratulations on 
their safe return. 



CAPTAIN PARRY'S 
THIRD VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 



The Ships leave England, and arrive at Disko Island. — The Ice crossed. — ■ 
Arrival at Lancaster's Sound. — Port Bowen. — Aurora Borealis. — Ani- 
mals. — Farther Proceedings. — The Fury wrecked. — Return to Eng- 
land. 

Though neither of the two first voyages of Capt. 
Parry had been successful, the British government 
resolved to fit out a third expedition. Accordingly 
the Hecla and Fury were made ready for sea, the 
latter under the command of Capt. Hoppner, and 
sailed from England on the 16th of May eighteen 
hundred twentyfour. They were to attempt the 
northwest passage at Prince Regent's Inlet. They 
crossed the Atlantic without any material adventure, 
and made the bay of Lievely in Disko Island on the 
5th of July. As this place has been described in 
that part of our work which relates to Greenland, it 
is unnecessary to say anything of it here. 

Sailing up Baffin's Bay, on the 17th the ships 
came to the ice, and from this time the obstructions 
from its quantity, magnitude and closeness, were 
such as to keep the crews constantly employed in 



344 POLAR REGIONS. 

heaving, warping or sawing through it, yet with so 
little success, that at the close of the month they had 
only penetrated seventy miles to the westward. 
Here they encountered a hard gale, and sustained 
several shocks that would have crushed any ship of 
ordinary strength. Not to dwell upon their labors 
and dangers during the eight w T eeks occupied in 
crossing this formidable barrier, they reached Lan- 
caster's Sound on the 10th of September. The 
entrance of the sound was, as usual, free from ice, 
excepting here and there a berg floating about in 
solitary grandeur. 

The winds not being favorable, the ships made 
small progress, and on the 13th the crews had the 
mortification to perceive the sea ahead covered 
with ice, in attempting to penetrate which they were 
soon immoveably beset. Nevertheless, the exer- 
tions of Capt. Parry and his coadjutors were unre- 
mitting. We have in our account of former voyages 
detailed the usual modes of proceeding in such 
cases. 

The officers landed at one place, a little east 
of Admiralty Inlet. Here they found the beach 
covered with fragments of bituminous shale, slate 
and iron-stone, interspersed with limestone gravel. 
Travelling inland, the surface was of secondary 
limestone, and there were many indications of coal. 
The vegetation was, as usual in those regions, very 
scanty. 

With great exertion and extreme difficulty the 
expedition reached Port Bowen in Prince Regent's 
Inlet, on the 27th, where, by the middle of October, 



POLAR REGIONS. 345 

Capt. Parry deemed it advisable to lay up the 
ships for the winter. The lands on each side of this 
spot run nearly east and west, and rise from six to 
nine hundred feet above the level of the sea, with 
deep and broad ravines intersecting the country in 
every direction. Several journeys inland proved 
the country to be exceedingly broken and rugged ; 
so much so that the researches of the explorers 
were of necessity confined to a very limited ex- 
tent. The surface was so completely buried in 
snow, that little knowledge of its nature or geology 
was gained. Traces of Esquimaux were found in 
every direction, but those by whom they had been 
left were nowhere seen. 

Some brilliant displays of the Aurora Borealis 
were observed this winter, one of which we shall 
describe. About midnight on the 27th of January, 
it broke out in a single compact mass of yellow 
light, appearing but a short distance above the land. 
This light, notwithstanding its general continuity, 
sometimes appeared to be composed of numerous 
groups of rays, compressed laterally, as it were, 
into one, its limits to right and left being well de- 
fined and nearly vertical. Though always very 
brilliant, it constantly varied in intensity ; and this 
appeared to be produced by one volume of light 
overlaying another, as we see the darkness of 
smoke increase when cloud rolls over cloud. While 
some of the officers were admiring the exceeding 
beauty of the phenomenon, they were suddenly as- 
tonished at seeing a brilliant ray shoot down from 
the general mass between them and the land, thence 
distant three thousand yards. 



$46 POLAR REGIONS. 

The principal animals seen at Port Bowen were 
bears, of which twelve were killed during the win- 
ter. Two foxes were killed, and four more were 
taken in traps. These last lived for some time on 
board the Fury. They were pure white till May, 
when they shed their coats, and assumed a dirty 
chocolate color with brown spots. Hares and mice 
were seen, but no deer or wolves. These animals 
appeared but rarely, and the same may be said of 
the feathered creation. 

In July, a canal was sawed in the ice, and the 
ships were towed to sea. Captain Parry hoped to 
sail over to the western shore of the inlet, but he 
-had only made eight miles in the intended direction, 
wlien he was stopped by the ice. As no opening 
appeared in that quarter, he determined to try to 
cross more to the northward. The most he gained 
was some knowledge of the character of the shores. 
A reference to the map will show the principal 
positions ascertained by astronomical observation. 

It was observed that in certain parts of Prince 
Regent's Inlet the water was of a milky hue. The 
land in the vicinity of Basting's Elwin Bay, ex- 
plained this appearance. Its formation was of lime, 
w T ith a narrow earthy stratum of gypsum, some of it 
of a very pure white. A part of the rock contained 
a quantity of it in the state of silenite in transparent 
laminae of a large size. 

On the 30th of July, the ships being beset close to 
the land, a hard gale brought the ice close upon them. 
The Hecla received no damage but the breaking of 
two. or three hawsers; but the Fury was forced on 



POLAR REGIONS. 347 

shore. She was heaved off again, with little injury., 
but this was but the commencement of her misfor- 
tunes. On the 1st of July, she was again nipped, 
and so severely strained as to leak a great deal. 
As the tide fell, her stern ? which was aground, was 
lifted several feet, and the Hecla also remained 
aground. No place was found where the Fury 
might be hove down to repair the damage, as the 
shore was everywhere lined with masses of ground- 
ed ice. The ships were again made to float, but 
it was found, notwithstanding incessant labor on 
board the Fury, that four pumps constantly going 
could hardly keep the water under. In these 
circumstances the only harbour that could be found 
was formed by three grounded masses of ice, with- 
in which the water was from three to four fathoms 
deep at low tide. 

On the night of the 2d, the ice came in with 
great violence, and again forced the Fury on shore. 
The strength and number of the Hecla's hawsers 
only saved her from sharing the same fate. Seven 
of these, of six inches diameter, and two stream 
cables were barely sufficient to bear the strain. In 
the mean while the crew of the Fury were com- 
pletely exhausted by labor, and their hands had be- 
come so sore by the constant friction of the ropes 
that they could no longer handle them without mit- 
tens. In this situation it was determined to land 
the stores and provisions of the vessel, in order that 
she might undergo a complete repair. 

Accordingly anchors were carried to the beach, 
by which the grounded icebergs that formed the 



348 POLAR REGIONS. 

harbour were secured in their position, thus en- 
closing a space just sufficient to admit both ships. 
In this position a great part of the Fury's stores 
were landed. The injury was found to be more 
severe than had at first been supposed ; indeed, it 
appeared that the compactness of her fabric had 
alone saved her from sinking. Nevertheless, no 
exertion was spared to render her sea-worthy again, 
though the daily pressure of the ice was another, 
and a very great disadvantage. While the opera- 
tions of heaving down and repairing were going on, 
the bergs by which the harbour was formed suffered 
constant diminution by the washing of the sea, and 
frequently changed their position, owing to the 
pressure of the external ice. 

In spite of every effort, it was found impossible 
to save the Fury, and the Hecla was greatly endan- 
gered in the attempt. She was compelled to leave 
the land and drift about among the ice, to avoid 
being forced on shore. On returning, Capt. Parry 
found that the Fury had been driven farther on the 
beach than before, and nine feet of water were in 
her hold. Her keel and bottom were more injured 
than ever. The first glance satisfied Capt. Parry 
that the vessel could never return to England. By 
and with the advice of a council of his officers, 
therefore, he decided to leave her to her fate, and 
as his provisions would barely suffice for another 
twelvemonth, to return home. In pursuance of this 
resolution the Hecla reached Sheerness on the 
21st of October. 

On the eastern shore of Prince Regent's Inlet is 



POLAR REGIONS. 349 

Cape Kater, the most southern point attained by 
the ships in this expedition. It is in latitude 71° 
53' 30", and longitude 90° 03' 45". If we add to 
this that the shores of this strait are everywhere 
bold and lofty, and that the ice in it seems to be 
perpetuated from year to year, we believe that we 
have communicated to our readers all the informa- 
tion gained by this voyage. 

It appears, from the discoveries of Capt. Parry, 
almost beyond the possibility of a doubt, that there 
are at least three passages, by water, round the 
northern shore of America ; viz. through Barrow's 
Strait, through Prince Regent's Inlet, and at the 
Strait of the Fury and Hecla. Whether they are 
at any time passable, future attempts only can de- 
termine. It seems to us, however, that, even 
though a passage should be effected, these channels 
can never be rendered available for the purposes 
of commerce or navigation. 



30 



CHAPTER I. 



Object of Captain Franklin's Journey. — His Instructions.— Captain Franklin 
arrives at Hudson's Bay. — York Factory.'— Swampy Crees. — Departure 
from York Factory. — Tracking. — Indian Anecdote. — Steel River. — Route 
of the party up Hill River. — Arrival at Lake Winnipeg. 

The English government having resolved to send 
an expedition to the northern shores of the new 
continent, to co-operate with Capt. Parry, and to 
farther the progress of discovery, Captain John 
Franklin, of the Royal British Navy, was selected 
as its commander. Doctor John Richafdson and 
Midshipmen George Back and Robert Hood were 
ordered to join Capt. Franklin in "the enterprize. 
These officers were to proceed through the interior 
to the Copper Mine River of Hearne, and thence 
to its debouchure into the Polar Sea, thence they 
were to advance, along the coast, to the eastern 
extremity of America. Arrived at this point, it was 
left to the discretion of Captain Franklin, in what 
manner, and by what route he should return. He 
was directed to ascertain the latitude and longitude 



POLAR REGIONS. 351 

of every prominent point on the coast, to observe 
the variation of the magnetic needle, and, in short, 
to observe and record everything that might occur? 
which should be interesting to science. That his 
views might find as little obstruction as possible, 
instructions were sent to the agents of the Hudson's 
Bay Company, to furnish him with supplies and aid 
his plans. In pursuance of these orders Capt* 
Franklin sailed from England on the 16th of June, 
1819, and reached York Factory at Hudson's Bay 
on the 30th of Auarust. 

Here Capt. Franklin was assured by Mr Williams, 
governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, of all the 
assistance in his power. The opinion of this gen- 
tleman and his subordinates was, that the expedi- 
tion should proceed by the way of Cumberland 
House, and through the chain of trading-posts f o 
Great Slave Lake ; and a large boat was selected 
by them for the journey. A crew was also pro- 
vided for this vessel. 

York Factory, the principal depot of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, is, or at that time was, a group 
of two-story buildings, surrounded by a stockade on 
the west bank of Hayes' River, about five miles 
above its mouth, on the marshy peninsula which 
separates Nelson and Hayes' Rivers. They were 
disposed in an octagonal form, with an open space 
in the centre. The officers of the company dwelt 
in one part of this square, and in the other parts 
were workshops, stores to contain merchandize, 
furs, &c.' : 

The surrounding country is flat and swampy, and 



352 POLAR REGIONS. 

covered with willows, poplars, larch, spruce, and 
birch trees. The soil is alluvial clay. Though the 
bank of the river is here about twenty feet high, it 
is frequently overflowed by the spring floods, and 
large portions are annually carried away by the 
disruption of the ice, which, grounding in the stream, 
have formed several muddy islands. These ob- 
structions render the navigation of the river some- 
what difficult, but vessels of two hundred tons bur- 
then may be brought through the proper channels 
as high as the factory. 

Capt. Franklin found a few of that band of Kinis- 
tenaux called Swampy Crees encamped at York 
Factory. Their tents were rudely constructed by 
tying twenty or thirty poles together at the top, and 
spreading them out at the base so as to form a 
cone ; these were covered with dressed moose- 
skins. The fire is placed in the centre, and a hole 
is left for the escape of the smoke. The inmates 
had a squalid look, and were suffering under the 
combined afflictions of hooping-cough and measles; 
but even these miseries did not keep them from an 
excessive indulgence in spirits, which they unhappi- 
ly can procure from the traders with too much facili- 
jty ; and they nightly serenaded the officers with their 
monotonous drunken songs. Their sickness at this 
time was particularly feltby the traders, this being the 
season of the year when the exertion of every hunt- 
er is required to procure their winter's stock of 
geese, which resort in immense flocks to the exten- 
sive flats in this neighbourhood. These birds, dur- 
ing the summer retire far to the north, and breed in 



POLAR REGIONS. 353 

security ; but when the approaching winter com- 
pels them to seek a more southern climate, they 
generally alight on the marshes of this bay, and fat- 
ten there for three weeks or a month, before they 
take their final departure from the country. They 
also make a short halt at the same spots in their 
progress northward in the spring. Their arrival is 
welcomed with joy, and the goose hunt is one of the 
most plentiful seasons of the year. The ducks 
frequent the sw T amps all summer. 

While the party remained at York Factory, the 
weather was unfavorable for celestial observations ; 
but by the aid of partial glimpses of sunshine it was 
found that this place is in latitude 57° 00' 03" N., 
and longitude 92° 26' W. The variation of the com- 
pass was 6° 00' 22" E. and the dip of the needle 
79° 29' Or. 

All arrangements being completed, on the 9th of 
September the expedition started. The w T ind fail- 
ing when they had attained six miles above the 
Factory, they were compelled to track, or tow the 
boat up stream, which was a laborious and difficult 
operation. The men were obliged to walk along 
the steep declivity of a high bank, rendered soft 
and slippery by rain, and were moreover impeded 
by fallen trees, which had slipped from the wood 
above, and hung on the face of the bank in all 
directions. At sunset, having made a progress of 
six miles, the party stopped and encamped. Here 
the river is about half a mile wide, and from three 
to nine feet deep. Its banks and islands are allu- 
30* 



354 POLAR REGIONS. 

vial, and well covered with pines, poplar, larches, 
and willows. 

A large fire was quickly kindled, supper was 
speedily prepared, and as readily despatched. Then, 
covering themselves with buffalo robes, the party 
betook themselves to rest, and enjoyed a night of 
sound repose. Thus commenced their travels in 
the Indian country. 

The next day was spent in tracking, with even 
more difficulty than before. Sometimes the men 
were obliged to pass under cliffs so steep that they 
could scarcely obtain a footing, and not seldom over 
spots so miry as to be almost impassable. In the 
course of the day, they passed the scene of a very 
melancholy accident. Some years before, two fam- 
ilies of Indians were induced by the flatness of a 
small beach between the cliff and the river to en- 
camp on it. They retired to rest, not aware that 
the precipice, detached from the bank, and urged 
by an accumulation of water in the crevice behind, 
tottered to its base. It fell in the night, and the 
whole party was buried in the ruins. 

The next day brought Capt. Franklin to the end 
of Hayes' River, which is formed by the confluence 
of Shamattawa and Steel Rivers. Steel River, 
through which the course of the party lay, is three 
hundred yards wide at its mouth, and its banks are 
more favorable for boating than Hayes' River. It 
presents much beautiful scenery, and winds through 
a narrow, well wooded valley. 

On the 14th, the party arrived at the junction of 
Fox and Hill Rivers, which unite to form the Steel* 



POLAR REGIONS. 355 

as Hayes' River is formed by the Steel and Sham- 
attawa. Soon after entering Hill River, our trav- 
ellers were overtaken by three boats belonging to 
the Hudson's Bay Company. The water was now 
so low, and the rapids so frequent, that their pro- 
gress was greatly retarded ; indeed they only made 
six miles this day. 

The banks of Hill River are higher, and have a 
more broken outline than those of either Hayes' or 
Steel Rivers. In some places the cliffs, of alluvial 
clay, rise eighty or ninety feet above the stream, 
and are surrounded by hills about two hundred 
feet high. 

Not to enlarge on rapids, and portages, and other 
difficulties of navigation, the party arrived at 
Morgan's Rocks, on the upper part of Hill River, 
on the 19th. Here the banks of the stream, con- 
sisting of low, flat rocks with intermediate swamps, 
permitted them to obtain a prospect of the interior, 
the surface of which is broken by a multitude of 
conical hills : the highest of these has given its 
name to the river, and has an elevation of six hun- 
dred feet. From its summit thirtysix small lakes 
are visible. 

Still ascending, the party came, on the 23d, to 
Swampy Lake, the head of Hill River. Thence 
they emerged into,, and ascended Jack River, which 
is but eight miles long. Then,, after crossing two 
portages, they entered Knee Lake, so called from 
its shape. Its shores are low and well wooded, 
and the surrounding country is also flat. This, 
sheet of water is thickly studded with islands, one 



356 POLAR REGIONS. 

of which is entirely composed of magnetic iron ore, 
and affects the needle at a considerable distance. 
On landing, the compass no longer points to the 
pole. 

On the 27th, the party left Knee Lake to ascend 
Trout River, and in the course of the day passed 
three portages and several rapids. At one of these 
portages there is a beautiful cascade sixteen feet 
high, called Trout Fall. The second portage is 
over hard and sharp stones, famous among the 
voyagers for destroying moccasins, and is thence 
called Knife Portage. Leaving Trout River they 
crossed Holey Lake, which is a beautiful piece of 
water, embellished with islets, and abounding in 
trout, which here often exceed forty pounds in 
weight, Leaving Holey Lake, the boats entered the 
Weepinapannis, a narrow, grassy stream, and the 
next morning reached Swampy Portage. 

The Weepinapannis is composed of several 
branches, which separate and unite again and again, 
intersecting the country through which it flows in 
every direction. Captain Franklin pursued the 
principal channel, and after crossing a small sheet 
of water named Windy Lake, entered a smooth, 
deep stream, known by the absurd appellation of 
Rabbit Ground. The marshy banks of this stream 
are skirted by low rocks. As the boats proceeded 
the country became flatter. Crossing another small 
lake, our travellers arrived at a romantic defile, 
whose rocky walls, rising perpendicularly to the 
height of eighty feet, hem in the stream for three 
quarters of a mile, in many places so closely that 



POLAR REGIONS. 357 

there is not room for the oars. A grand and pic- 
turesque rapid terminates the passage, and a brown 
fishing eagle which has nested on the cliff seems to 
pr eside over the scene. This chasm is called The 
Hill Gates. 

On the 1st of October, they reached the White 
Fall Portage, which is oocasioned by three distinct 
ridges of rock crossing the bed of the stream, and 
is thirteen hundred yards long. The scenery is 
rude and striking. Rocks piled on rocks hang over 
the torrents which sweep their bases, while the 
bright and varied tints of the mosses and lichens 
which cover the front of the surrounding cliffs, con- 
trasting with the gloomy green of the pines which 
crown their summits, add beauty to the grandeur of 
the scene. 

Leaving the White Fall, our friends arrived at the 
Painted Stone, a rock remarkable for its position 
among marshy streams which rise on each side of 
it. This spot may be considered as one of the 
smaller sources of Hayes' River. On the other side 
of the Painted Stone rises the Echemamis, which 
flows to the westward into Nelson River. Having 
launched the boats over the rock, the party com- 
menced the descent of the Echemamis. 

On the morning of the 5th, they entered Sea 
River, one of the many branches of Nelson River. 
This they ascended for two hours, crossed a port- 
age and entered Little Jack River, which is a chan- 
nel between upper and lower Play Green Lakes. 
Then passing through upper Play Green Lake they 
encamped at Norway Point on the 6th. 



358 POLAR REGIONS. 

The waters of Lake Winnipeg are opaque ; and 
Nelson River and Play Green Lake being its dis- 
charges, are muddy also, and therefore the rocks 
concealed in them are doubly dangerous. The 
crew of one of the Hudson's Bay Company's boats, 
found this to their cost, as it struck on a reef, 
and received considerable damage. 

Norway Point is the extremity of a peninsula 
which separates Play Green Lake from Lake Win- 
nipeg, Norway House, at this place, is a post of the 
Hudson's Bay Company. Having traced the route 
of our party as. far as Lake Winnipeg, we shall post- 
pone their, subsequent -adventures to the next chap- 
ter. 



r CHAPTER II. 

The Saskat'chawayn. — Arrival at Cumberland House. — Sufferings of the In- 
dians. — First of January. — Eois Brule s. — Departure of Captain Franklin.— 
Cumberland House. — Vegetable Kingdom. — Animals. — The Naheeowak. 

That the reader may the more easily trace Cap- 
tain Franklin and his fellow travellers, we shall 
•give the latitude and longitude of the most remark- 
able places on their route. Norway Point is in 
latitude 53° 41' 38", and longitude 98° 1' 24". 

Leaving Norway House on the 7th of October, 
the party sailed along the northern shore of Lake 
Winnipeg to Limestone Bay. This part of the 
coast is bordered by high clay bluffs as far as Lime- 
stone Bay, a distance of thirtyeight miles. 



POLAR REGIONS. 359 

On the afternoon of the 9th, they entered the 
great river Saskatchawayn. In the first two miles 
there are several rapids. Here the stream varies 
in breadth from five hundred yards to half a mile, 
and flows through a stony channel. Then, at the 
Grand Rapid, the river makes a sudden bend, and. 
rushing through a narrow passage worn in the solid 
limestone, presents an unbroken sheet of foam. 
The route from. Canada to Lake Athabasca, here 
unites w r ith that from York Factory. 

By noon on the 12th, the boats had passed the 
rapid, and they moved up the Saskatchawayn* 
As they proceeded the river became wider. Its 
banks are high, composed of white clay and lime- 
stone, and their tops are surmounted by firs, pop- 
lars, birches and willows. The current is rapid, 
like that of the Missouri, and the channel is in 
many places intricate and dangerous, owing to 
ridges of rock which jut into the stream. Still ad- 
vancing, the boats entered Cedar Lake, where a 
violent gale compelled them to put ashore at a 
small island and detained them a. whole day. On 
the 16th, they ascended the Saskatchawayn eigh- 
teen miles, and found the banks low, fringed with 
willows, and lined with drift wood. The next six 
days were passed in exertions which brought them 
to Cumberland House, on Pine Island Lake, a tra- 
ding post of the Hudson's Bay Company. The 
margin of the lake was incrusted with ice, so thick, 
that to effect a landing they were obliged to break 
it with poles, which satisfied Captain Franklin that 
it would be advisable to halt for the winter. 



360 POLAR REGIONS. 

Accordingly, houses were built for the men, and 
measures were adopted to procure provisions for 
the winter. A building for the officers was com- 
pleted on the twentysecond of November, at which 
date the Saskatchawayn, and all the other rivers in 
the vicinity, were frozen over. About thlj time 
some Indians came to the post to beg provisions, 
having been prevented from hunting by sickness. 
We mention this circumstance to exemplify the 
miseries of savage life, than which none has greater 
vicissitudes. Few recitals could be more affecting 
than the detail of the sufferings of Indians during 
unfavorable seasons, or in sickness. We have 
seen some individuals who have been compelled 
by starvation to feed on the bodies of their own 
relatives. When we consider that cannibalism is 
regarded with the utmost horror by the aborigines — 
indeed, as a sentence of perpetual disgrace on him 
who resorts to it, we may conceive that a shocking 
degree of suffering only, can occasion its occur- 
rence. 

The travellers, as well as the agents of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company, were supplied with food in 
the manner common to all trading posts. Hunters 
were sent out to kill moose, and nets were set in 
different parts of the lake for fish. The produce 
of the chase and fishery was brought to Cumber- 
land House on dog sledges. The fishing was not 
very productive, though sturgeon, tittameg and trout 
were commonly found upon the officers' table. 

On the 1st of January, the new year was ush- 
ered in by repeated discharges of musketry, a cer- 



POLAR REGIONS. 361 

emony which has long been observed by the Cana- 
dian voyageurs. The party dined on a beaver ; no 
very delicate morsel, as we can testify. In the 
evening the voyageurs exhibited some grace and 
much agility in a dance ; and the officers had occa- 
sion to observe the passionate fondness of the half- 
bred women for this amusement. These women 
are the offspring of marriages between the traders 
and voyageurs and Indian women, or to speak more 
correctly, in most instances, of concubinage. Lit- 
tle care is bestowed on them by their fathers, and 
their morals are consequently on a par with those 
of their respective maternal tribes. They com- 
monly marry (according to the custom of the In- 
dian country) at an early age, and are to be found 
in every trading-house in the north and northwest. 
In the north it is not uncommon for one woman to 
be maintained by two voyageurs, and to consider 
herself the wife of both. Moreover, the Canadians 
frequently sell their wives, either for a season or 
altogether, and the price seldom exceeds that of a 
team of dogs. While young, these women are well 
shaped and handsome ; but their features and per- 
sons soon become masculine, as do those of the 
squaws. 

The male children of this abominable inter- 
course commonly follow the occupations of their 
fathers; that is, they are employed as interpreters 
or voyageurs by the traders. When they are not 
thus engaged they roam over the country like the 
Indians, subsisting by the chase. Excepting that, 
they speak French, that their complexion is lighter 
31 



362 POLAR REGIONS. 

and that their costume partakes of the fashions of 
Europe, they differ little from the savages. Physi- 
cally they are a fine race, well formed and athletic, 
to a man. This class of men and women are very 
numerous, and are called metifs, bois bruit's, or 
half-breeds. 

Conversations with the traders at Cumberland 
House persuaded Captain Franklin of the necessity 
of proceeding to Lake Athabasca during the win- 
ter. The following were his reasons. The resi- 
dents of Lake Athabasca were better acquainted 
with the nature of the country north of Great Slave 
Lake than those of Cumberland House, and there 
only could guides, hunters, and interpreters be 
procured. Accordingly, he set off for Carlton House 
on the eighteenth of January, leaving Dr Richard- 
son behind. We will not follow the adventurous 
Captain till we have given our readers some infor- 
mation touching Cumberland House and the In- 
dians who inhabit thereabout. 

Cumberland House is in latitude 53° 56' 40 and 
longitude 102° 16' 41". Its distance from York Fac- 
tory is about seven hundred miles. At the time of 
which we are writing, a house belonging to the 
Northwest Fur Company stood beside it; but since 
the two rival companies have united, we believe 
that it exists no longer. The post was established 
by Hearne, a year or two after his return from the 
Copper-mine River, and has ever since been con- 
sidered by the Hudson's Bay Company as a post 
of considerable importance. Previous to that time 
the natives carried their furs down to the shores of 



POLAR REGIONS. 363 

Hudson's Bay, or disposed of them nearer home 
to the French Canadian traders, who visited this 
part of the country as early as the year 1697. 

The Cumberland House district, extending about 
one hundred and fifty miles from east to west along 
the banks of the Saskatchawan, and about as far 
from north to south, comprehends, on a rough cal- 
culation, upwards of twenty thousand square miles, 
and is frequented by about one hundred and twenty 
Indian hunters. Of these, a few have several wives, 
but the majority only one ; and, as some are un- 
married, we shall not err greatly in considering the 
number of married women as only slightly exceed- 
ing that of the hunters. The women marry very 
young, have a custom of suckling their children for 
several years, and are besides exposed constantly 
to fatigue, and often to famine ; hence they are not 
prolific, bearing upon an average not more than 
four children, of whom two may attain the age of 
puberty. Upon these data, the amount of each fam- 
ily may be stated at live, and the whole Indian pop- 
ulation in the district at five hundred. 

The country around Cumberland House is flat 
and swampy, and is much intersected by small lakes. 
Limestone is found everywhere, under a thin stra- 
tum of soil, and it not unfrequently shows itself 
above the surface. It lies in strata generally hori- 
zontal, but in one spot near the fort dipping to the 
northward at an angle of 40°. Some portions of 
this rock contain very perfect shells. 

The vegetable productions of the country about 
Cumberland House are, first, 



364 POLAR REGIONS. 

The popuhs trepida, or aspen, which thrives 
best in moist places, and is more abundant on the 
Saskatchawayn than any other tree. When newly 
cut, it is good fire-wood. 

The populus balsamifera, or taccamahac, called by 
the Kinisteneaux the ugly poplar, in allusion to its 
rough bark, naked stem, and distorted branches. 
It is an inferior fire-wood. The Indians use a de- 
coction of its resinous buds for snow blindness, but 
its application to the inflamed eye causes acute 
pain. 

Of evergreens white spruce is the most common. 
The red and black spruce, the balsam of Gilead fir, 
and the Banksian pine also occur frequently. The 
larch is stinted and unhealthy. The common canoe 
birch is rare, but attains a considerable size. The 
alder abounds on the small lakes, and the Indians 
use a decoction of its inner bark as an emetic. 
The sugar maple, elm and ash grow on the Sas- 
katchawayn ; but, we believe, no farther north. 
The choke cherry and a kind of wild plum com- 
plete the list of trees. 

The strawberry is found in abundance, as well 
as the raspberry; The red whortleberry is found 
everywhere, but is most abundant in rocky places. 
The common cranberry is found in all the swamps ; 
and beside these, there are berries of several other 
species. 

The animals of this district are, the bison, the 
moose, the reindeer, the American elk, the apecsee- 
mongsoos, or jumping deer, the kinwaithoos, or long- 
tailed deer, and the American antelope or cabri. 



POLAR REGIONS. 365 

All these are hunted for food. They all abound in 
the prairies above the forks of the Saskatcliawayn, 
but none of them, excepting the moose and rein- 
deer, are found about Cumberland House. 

Of the fur- clad animals, there are red, black, blue, 
silver, and cross foxes, several varieties of the wolf, 
the black, red, and grizzly bears, and the wolver- 
ene. This last does miich mischief, eating the 
martens which are caught in traps, and is therefore 
detested by the hunters. The other animals are 
the American lynx, the marten, the pekan, or fisher, 
the mink, the otter, the beaver, and the musk-rat. 
The land around Cumberland House is low, but 
the soil, from having a considerable intermixture of 
lime-stone, is good, and capable of producing abun- 
dance of corn, and vegetables of every description. 
Many kinds of pot-herbs have already been brought 
to some perfection, and the potatoes equal those 
of any country. The spontaneous productions 
of nature would afford ample nourishment for all 
the European animals. Horses feed extreme- 
ly well even during the winter, and so would oxen, 
if provided with hay, which might be easily done. 
The wild buffalo scrapes away the snow with its 
feet, to get at the herbage beneath ; and the horse, 
which was introduced by the Spanish invaders of 
Mexico, and may be said to have become natural- 
ized, does the same ; but it is worthy of remark, 
that the ox, more lately brought from Europe, has 
not yet acquired an art so necessary for procuring 
its food. Pigs also improve, but require to be kept 
warm in the winter. The neighbourhood of the 
31* 



366 POLAR REGIONS, 

houses has been much cleared of wood, from the 
great demand for fuel ; there is, therefore, little to 
admire in the surrounding scenery, especially in its 
winter garb ; few animated objects occur to enliven 
the scene ; an occasional fox, marten, rabbit, or 
wolf, and a few birds, constitute the only variety. 
The birds which remain are ravens, magpies, par- 
tridges, cross-bills, and wood-peckers. In this uni- 
versal stillness, the residents at a post feel little 
disposed to wander abroad, except when called 
forth by their occupations. 

The Crees ( Gallicce, oris) Kinistenaux, or as they 
call themselves, JYaheeowawk, are the nation to 
which the Cumberland House Indians belong. If 
affinity of language establishes connexion, we have 
in our possession a vocabulary of their tongue which 
incontestibly proves them to belong to the Algon- 
quin, or Chippeway stock, branches of which for- 
merly peopled New England. Their character has 
been so much modified by intercourse with the 
English fur traders, that it cannot be said what it 
was originally. We may say that they are a vain, 
fickle, improvident, mendacious, indolent people, 
and moreover great boasters. Indeed this char- 
acter will apply to all the wild tribes with which 
we have any acquaintance, and they are not few. 
Yet must we not judge them strictly : the moral 
character of a hunter is influenced by the nature of 
the land he inhabits, by the abundance or scarcity 
of food, and by the facility of access to ardent 
spirits ; all of which causes operate unfavorably on 
the Naheeow T awk. We must also bear in mind that 



POLAR REGIONS. 367 

they are a race without any divine rule, real or 
supposed ; without government, and without any 
restraint excepting that of public opinion. To try 
their character or conduct, therefore, by our own 
standard, would be less than justice. 

On the other hand, they are scrupulously honest, 
very hospitable, tolerably kind to their women, 
capable of friendship, inclined to peace, and suscep- 
tible of the kinder affections. 

Much of the faulty part of their character origi- 
nates in their mode of life. Accustomed to depend, 
in a great measure, upon chance for the means of 
subsistence, they are consequently indolent. The 
most offensive trait, boasting, has probably been 
put on as a kind of natural armor, to operate on the 
fears of their enemies. 

There is little wherein the manners and customs 
of the Naheeowawk differ from those of other tribes 
of the same stock; and as we have matters of more 
interest to communicate, we shall not dwell upon 
them farther. 



CHAPTER III. 

Snow Shoes. — Dog Sledges. — Travelling Dress. — Mai a Raquette. — Pemican. 
— Sagacity of Wolves. — Arrival at Carlton House. — Assinneboins. — 
Their War Parties. — Dressing Skins. — A Pound for catching Buffaloes. 

Captain Franklin, as we have said before, started 
from Cumberland House on the 18th of January. 
As we shall often have occasion to speak of the 



368 POLAR REGIONS. 

implements of travelling in winter in an Indian 
country, it may not be amiss to describe them here. 
A snow-shoe is made of two light bars of wood, 
fastened together at their extremities, and pro- 
jected into curves by transverse bars. The side 
bars have been so shaped by a frame, and dried 
before a fire, that the front part of the shoe turns 
up, like the prow of a boat, and the part behind 
terminates in an acute angle ; the spaces between 
the bars are filled up with a fine netting of leathern 
thongs, except that part behind the main bar, which 
is occupied by the feet ; the netting is there close 
and strong, and the foot is attached to the main bar 
by straps passing round the heel, but only fixing the 
toes, so that the heel rises after each step, and the 
tail of the shoe is dragged on the snow. Between 
the main bar and another in front of it, a small 
space is left, permitting the toes to descend a little 
in the act of raising the heel to make the step for- 
ward, which prevents their extremities from chafing. 
The length of a snow-shoe is from four to six feet, 
and the breadth one foot and a half, or one foot 
and three quarters, being adapted to the size of the 
wearer. The motion of walking in them is per- 
fectly natural, for one shoe is level with the snow, 
when the edge of the other is passing over it. It 
is not easy to use them among bushes, without fre- 
quent overthrows, nor to rise afterwards without 
help. Each shoe weighs about two pounds, when 
unclogged with snow. The northern Indian's snow- 
shoes, differ a little from those of the southern In- 
dians, having a greater curvature on the outside of 



POLAR REGIONS. 369 

each shoe ; one advantage of which is, that when 
the foot rises the overbalanced side descends and 
throws off the snow. All the superiority of Euro- 
pean art has been unable to improve the native 
contrivance of this useful machine. 

Sledges are made of two or three flat boards, 
curving upwards in front, and fastened together by 
transverse pieces of wood above. They are so 
thin that, if heavily laden, they bend with the ine- 
qualities of the surface over which they pass. The 
ordinary dog-sledges are eight or ten feet long and 
very narrow, but the lading is secured to a lacing 
round the edges. The cariole used by the traders 
is merely a covering of leather for the lower part of 
the body, affixed to the common sledge, which is 
painted and ornamented according to the taste of 
the proprietor. Besides snow-shoes, each individu- 
al carries his blanket, hatchet, steel, flint, and tinder, 
and generally fire-arms. 

The general dress of the winter traveller is a 
capot, having a hood to put up under the fur cap 
in windy weather, or in the woods, to keep the 
snow from his neck ; leathern trowsers and Indian 
leggins, which are closed at the ankles, round the 
upper part of his moccasins, or Indian shoes, to pre- 
vent the snow from getting into them. Over these 
he wears a blanket, or leathern coat, which is se^ 
cured by a belt round his waist, to which his fire^ 
bag, knife, and hatchet are suspended. 

Sledges are usually drawn by three dogs, and at 
the commencement of a journey, carry three hun- 
dred pounds, which load, however, undergoes a 



370 POLAR REGIONS. 

daily diminution from the consumption of provisions. 
The sledge, with its tackle, weighs about thirty 
pounds, and thus laden, the rate of travelling is 
about three miles an hour. 

At night. Captain Franklin 'encamped' after the 
manner of the north ; that is, his people cleared a 
small spot of its snow, built a huge fire, before 
which, after supping, the party slept. In such en- 
campments it is necessary to hang sledges on trees, 
out of the reach of the dogs, lest they should eat 
the tackle. 

The course of the party lay up the Saskatcha- 
wayn, and they made but slow progress through 
the deep snow. The task of beating the track for 
the dogs was so fatiguing, that the men took it by 
turns, at intervals of an hour and a half. By the 
evening of the 20th, Capt. Franklin had experience 
of one not the least of the hardships of winter trav- 
elling., viz. what is called the mal a raquette, or 
snow-shoe pain. This is caused by the irritation of 
the tendons of the upper part of the foot, caused 
by the weight of the snow-shoe. This is an evil 
which few of the uninitiated escape, and which 
excites no commiseration in the experienced voy- 
age urs, who think of it as sailors do of sea sickness. 
Nevertheless, the pain is almost enough to bring 
down the fortitude of the bravest. 

The usual food of the voyageurs, on such jour- 
neys, is pemican, which is made in the following 
manner. Meat is cut into thin slices, and dried. 
It is then broken into small fragments, and pulver- 
ised 3 or nearly so, with a pestle. It is then mixed 



POLAR REGIONS. 371 

in equal parts with tallow or marrow fat, crammed 
into a parchment bag, and pounded hard. It is a 
convenient and nutritious food, and when well pre- 
pared will keep upwards of two years. 

On the 25th, the party passed the remains of 
two elks, lying at the bases of perpendicular cliffs 
over which they had probably been driven by 
wolves. These voracious animals, who are inferi- 
or in speed to the moose or red-deer, are said fre- 
quently to have recourse to this expedient in places 
where extensive plains are bounded by precipitous 
cliffs. While the deer are quietly grazing, the 
wolves assemble in great numbers, and, forming a 
crescent, creep slowly towards the herd so as not 
to alarm them much at first, but when they perceive 
that they have fairly hemmed in the unsuspecting 
creatures, and cut off their retreat across the plain, 
they move more quickly and with hideous yells ter- 
rify their prey, and urge them to flight by the only 
open way, which is that towards the precipice ; ap- 
pearing to know that when the herd is once at full 
speed, it is easily driven over the cliff, the rearmost 
urging on those that are before. The wolves then 
descend at their leisure, and feast on the mangled 
carcasses. 

In the evening of the 26th, the travellers put up 
at Upper Nippeween, a deserted trading house, 
where they washed and shaved, for the first time 
since leaving Cumberland House. They passed 
an uncomfortable and sleepless night, and agreed 
thenceforth to encamp in the open air, as prefer- 
able to the shelter of a deserted house without 



372 POLAR REGIONS. 

doors or windows. In the course of the next day 
they passed the confluence of the south branch of 
the Saskatchawayn, which rises in the Rocky Moun- 
tains near the sources of the Missouri. They then 
passed the ruins of a house which the traders had 
been compelled to abandon on account of the in- 
tractable conduct and pilfering habits of the Assin- 
neboins. They moreover learned from the voy- 
ageurs that all the residents of a house near the 
spot had been cut off by the same Indians a few 
years before. At night, the wolves serenaded them, 
as usual, and Mr Back was more seriously dis- 
turbed. His buffalo robe took fire, and the shoes 
on his feet were so much contracted by the heat, 
and gave him so much pain, that he was obliged to 
jump up and run into the snow for relief. 

On the 30th, they reached the beginning of the 
Barren Grounds, above which both banks of the 
river are bare. Vast prairies extend behind the 
southern bank, affording excellent pasturage for the 
Buffalo, a herd of which were seen. By this time 
their provisions were expended, and they were, 
therefore, very happy to reach Carlton House the 
next day at noon, where they were kindly received 
and hospitably entertained by Mr Prudens, the tra- 
der. 

Here Captain Franklin had an opportunity to 
see some Assinneboins, or in their own tongue, 
Hohays. Their countenances are affable and plea- 
sing, their eyes large and expressive, nose aquiline, 
teeth white and regular, the forehead bold, the 
cheek-bones rather high. Their figure is usually 



POLAR REGIONS. 373 

good, above the middle size, with slender, but well- 
proportioned limbs. Their color is a light copper,, 
and they have a profusion of very black hair, which 
hangs over the ears, and shades the face. Their 
dress, which is extremely neat and convenient, 
consists of a shirt and leggins of leather ; over these 
a buffalo robe is thrown gracefully. These dresses 
are in general cleaned with white mud, a sort of 
marl, though some use red earth, a kind of bog-iron- 
ore ; but this color neither looks so light, nor 
forms so agreeable a contrast as the white with 
the black hair of the robe. Their quiver hangs be- 
hind them, and in the hand is carried the bow, with 
an arrow, always ready for attack or defence, and 
sometimes they have a gun : they also carry a bag, 
containing materials for making a fire, some tobac- 
co, the calumet or pipe, and whatever valuables 
they possess. This bag is neatly ornamented with 
porcupine quills. Thus equipped, the Stone Indian 
bears himself with an air of perfect independence. 
The Stone Indians steal whatever they can, par- 
ticularly horses : these animals they maintain are 
common property, sent by the Almighty for the 
general use of man, and therefore may be taken 
wherever met with ; still they admit the right of the 
owners to w T atch them, and to prevent theft if pos- 
sible. This avowed, disposition on their part calls 
forth the strictest vigilance at the different posts ; 
notwithstanding which the most daring attacks are 
often made with success, sometimes on parties of 
three or four, but oftener on individuals. About 
two years ago, a band of them had the audacity to 
32 



374 POLAR REGIONS. 

attempt to take away some horses which were graz- 
ing before the gate of the Northwest Company's 
fort ; and, after braving the fire from the few peo- 
ple then at the establishment through the whole 
day, and returning their shots occasionally, they ac- 
tually succeeded in their enterprise. One man was 
killed on each side. They usually strip defence- 
less persons whom they meet, of all their garments, 
but particularly of those which have buttons, and 
leave them to travel home in that state, however 
severe the weather. If resistance be expected, 
they not unfrequently murder before they attempt 
to rob. The traders, when they travel, invariably 
keep some men on guard to prevent surprise, whilst 
the others sleep ; and often practise the stratagem of 
lighting a fire at sunset, which they leave burning, 
and move on after dark to a more distant encampment 
— yet these precautions do not always baffle the 
depredators. Such is the description of men whom 
the traders of this river have constantly to guard 
against. 

These parties go to war almost every summer, 
and sometimes muster three or four hundred horse- 
men on each side. Their leaders, in approaching 
the foe, exercise all the caution of the most skilful 
generals ; and whenever either party considers that 
it has gained the best ground, or finds it can sur- 
prise the other, the attack is made. They advance 
at once to close quarters, and the slaughter is con- 
sequently great, though the battle may be short. 
The prisoners of either sex are seldom spared, but 
slain on the spot with wanton cruelty. The dead 



POLAR REGIONS. 375 

are scalped, and he is considered the bravest per- 
son who bears the greatest number of scalps from 
the field. These are afterwards attached to his 
war dress, and worn as proofs of his prowess. The 
victorious party, during a certain time, blacken 
their faces and every part of their dress, in token of 
grief for their slain ; and in that state they often 
come to the establishment, if near, to signify their 
success by dancing and singing, bearing all the hor- 
rid insignia of war, to display their individual feats. 

There were also a band of Naheeowawk en- 
camped at Carlton House, and Captain Franklin 
had occasion to observe, what we have often re- 
marked, that the greater proportion of the labor of 
savage life falls on the women. He saw them 
employed in dressing skins, and conveying wood, 
water, and provision. As they have often to fetch 
the meat from some distance, they are assisted in 
this duty by their dogs, which are not harnessed in 
sledges, but carry their burthens in a manner pecu- 
liarly adapted to this level country. Two long 
poles are fastened by a collar to the dog's neck ; 
their ends trail on the ground, and are kept at a 
proper distance hj a hoop, which is lashed be- 
tween them, immediately behind the dog's tail ; the 
hoop is covered with net-work, upon which the load 
is placed. 

There was also another object of interest- close 
by ; a pound for catching buffaloes. It was a 
fenced circular space, of about a hundred yards in 
diameter ; the entrance was banked up with snow, 



376 POLAR REGIONS. 

to a sufficient height to prevent the retreat of the 
animals that once have entered. For about a mile 
on each side of the road leading to the pound, 
stakes were driven into the ground, at nearly equal 
distances, of about twenty yards ; these were in- 
tended to represent men, and to deter the animals 
from attempting to break out on either side. With- 
in fifty or sixty yards from the pound, branches of 
trees were placed between these stakes to screen 
the Indians, who lie down behind them to await the 
approach of the buffalo. 

The principal dexterity in this species of chase is 
.Shown by the horsemen, who have to manoeuvre 
"round the herd in the plains, so as to urge them to 
enter the roadway, which is about a quarter of a 
mile broad. When this has been accomplished, 
they raise loud shouts, and, pressing close upon the 
animals, so terrify them that they rush heedlessly 
forward towards the snare. When they have ad- 
vanced as far as the men who are lying in ambush, 
these also rise, and increase their consternation by 
violent shouting, and firing guns. The affrighted 
beasts having no alternative, run directly to the 
pound, where they are quickly despatched, either 
with arrows or guns. 

There was a tree in the centre of the pound, on 
which the Indians had hung strips of buffalo flesh, 
and pieces of cloth, as tributary or grateful offerings 
to the Great Master of Life ; and we are informed 
that they occasionally place a man in the tree, to 
sing to the presiding spirit, as the buffaloes are ad- 



POLAR REGIONS. 377 

vancing, who must keep his station until the whole 
that have entered are killed. This species of hunt- 
ing is very similar to that of taking elephants, on the 
island of Ceylon, but upon a smaller scale. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Running the Buffalo. — Still Hunting.— Carlton House. — Goitres.— A Bead 
Body. — Isle a la Crosse.— Buffalo Lake.— Pierre au Calumet.— Arrival at 
Fort Chipp3wyan. — Return of Spring. 

Beside the pound there are other ways of taking 
the Buffalo, all practised by such Indians as live in 
the prairies and ride on horseback. Of these, 
hunting on horseback requires most courage and 
dexterity. An expert hunter, when well mounted, 
dashes at the herd, and chooses an individual, which 
he endeavours to separate from the rest. If he suc- 
ceeds, he contrives to keep them apart, by the pro- 
per management of his horse, though going at full 
speed. Whenever he can get sufficiently near 
for a ball to penetrate the beast's hide, he fires, 
and seldom fails of bringing the animal down ; 
though of course he cannot rest the piece against 
the shoulder, nor take a deliberate aim. On this 
service, the hunter is often exposed to considerable 
danger, from the fall of his horse in the numerous 
holes which the badgers make in these plains, and 
also from the rage of the buffalo, which, when 
closely pressed, often turns suddenly, and, rushing 
furiously on the horse, frequently succeeds in wound- 
32* 



378 POLAR REGIONS. 

ing it, or dismounting the rider. Whenever the 
animal shows this disposition, which the experi- 
enced hunter will readily perceive, he immediately 
pulls up his horse, and goes off in another direction. 

When the buffaloes are on their guard, horses 
cannot be used in approaching them ; but the hun- 
ter dismounts at some distance, and crawls in the 
snow towards the herd, pushing his gun before 
him. If the buffaloes happen to look towards him, 
he stops, and keeps quite motionless, until their 
eyes are turned in another direction ; by this cau- 
tious proceeding a s ilful person will go so near as 
to be able to kill two or three out of the herd. It 
will easily be imagined this service cannot be very 
agreeable, when the thermometer stands at 30° or 
40° below zero, as sometimes happens in this coun- 
try. 

The buffalo or bison is a huge and shapeless 
animal, quite devoid of grace or beauty ; particular- 
ly awkward in running, but by no means slow; 
when put to his speed, he plunges through the deep 
snow very expeditiously: the hair is dark brown, 
very shaggy, curling about the head, neck, and 
hump, and almost covering the eye, particularly in 
the bull, which is larger and more unsightly than 
the cow. The most esteemed part of the animal is 
the hump, called by the Canadians bossc, by the 
Hudson's Bay people the tvig ; it is merely a strong 
muscle, on which nature at certain seasons forms a 
considerable quantity of fat. It is attached to the 
long spinous processes of the first dorsal vertebras, 
and seems to be destined to support the enormous 



POLAR REGIONS. 379 

head of the animal. The meat which covers the 
spinal processes themselves, after the wig is re- 
moved, is next in esteem for its flavor and juici- 
ness, and is more exclusively termed the hump by 
the hunters. 

Carlton House is in 52° 50' 47" N. latitude, and 
106° 12' 42" W. longitude. It is pleasantly situated 
about a quarter of a mile from the river, on flat ground 
under the shelter of the high banks which bound 
the plains. The soil is good, and, with little trouble, 
produces ample returns of wheat, barley, oats and 
potatoes. With the bank behind the house com- 
mences the prairie which extends to Mexico and 
the Rocky Mountains, Carlton House is a provi- 
sion post, for the supply of other places, and few 
furs are collected there. There are more such es- 
tablishments farther up the river, at one of which 
(Edmonton) almost all the residents are afflicted 
with bronchocele, or goitres. This disorder attacks 
all who drink the water of the river, though farther 
down it is known only by name. A great pro- 
portion of the children born of women witlj. goitres 
are idiots. It may not be improper to state here 
that the same disease prevails at Detroit in Michi- 
gan, where it is mostly confined to females. 

Isle a la Crosse was the next stage of the journey 
to Athabasca ; and having recovered from the pains 
and fatigues of the march, the party started from 
Carlton House on the 8th of February. For the 
first two days their route lay across an unvaried 
level, destitute of wood. On the second afternoon, 
they crossed three small lakes, two of fresh water, 



380 POLAR REGIONS. 

and one of salt. By this last was an elevation, 
covered with poplars, willows and pines, at the foot 
of which they encamped. Here they saw a large 
herd of elks. 

The next day there was an agreeable variety of 
hill and dale, with enough wood for ornament. The 
valleys were intersected by small lakes and ponds, 
whose white covering happily contrasted with the 
dark green of the pines which surrounded them. 
Towards night, they crossed Lake Iroquois, and en- 
camped on its beautiful shore. 

The next day they struck into a beaten path, 
which brought them to the remains of an Indian hut. 
Close to this ruin was a great pile of wood, which 
the voyageurs supposed to cover a deposit of pro- 
visions. They removed the upper pieces, and to 
their surprise found the body of a squaw 7 , apparent- 
ly recently placed there. Her garments, the ma- 
terials for striking fire, a fishing-line, a hatchet, and 
a bark dish were laid beside her. The wood was 
carefully replaced. 

The next evening the party reached Stinking 
Lake, in latitude 53° 25', and longitude 107° 18'. It 
is of an oval form, and its shores are low and swam- 
py ; to which it owes its name, and not to any bad 
quality of its waters. The day after, the route lay 
over ranges of hills so thickly covered with firs, 
birches, and poplars, that it was with great difficulty 
the sledges passed between them. On the 15th, 
they reached Pelican Lake, which is eight miles 
long and six broad. Thence the view to the right 
is bounded by a range of lofty hills. The 17th 



POLAR REGIONS. 381 

brought them to a trading-house on Green Lake. 
Green Lake is eighteen miles long, and does not 
exceed a mile and a half in breadth in any part. 
The waters are deep, and abound in trout and titta- 
meg. 

Here the Captain remained two days, and then 
pushed on, and after crossing several more lakes 
and rivers, arrived on the 24th, at the trading-house 
on Isle a la Crosse Lake, which derives its name 
from an island, on which the Indians formerly used 
to play a game of ball called La Crosse. It is cel- 
ebrated in the north for the abundance and quality 
of its fishes. It lies in latitude 55° 25', and longi- 
tude 107° 5V. 

On the 5th of March, the travellers resumed their 
journey, and in two -days reached a trading-house 
on Buffalo Lake. On the 11th, they came to ano- 
ther establishment on Lake Methye, where they were, 
as usual, well received. 

This is a beautiful sheet of water, ten miles long 
and six broad, and derives its name from a species 
of fish caught in it, but not esteemed ; for the resi- 
dents never eat any part of it but the liver: the 
dogs reject even that. Capt. Franklin ascertained 
that the position of the houses was in latitude 56° 
24/ and longitude 109° 23'. 

The places next in order on the route of our 
travellers were, the Methye Portage, Pine Port- 
age, and Cascade Portage, the latter of which 
is the last on the way to Athabasca. Here they 
found five lodges of Chippewyans, very poor and 
miserable. They had lately lost several of their 



382 POLAR REGIONS. 

relatives, and according to the custom of almost all 
Indian tribes had given away all their property, and 
destroyed their clothes and tents, in token of grief. 
This accounted for their forlorn appearance. 

On the 17th, the party came to the junction of 
the Pembina with the Athabasca river. The west- 
ern shore near the Forks is destitute of trees, and 
is composed of lofty perpendicular cliffs. A few 
pines are the only trees on the eastern shore. On 
the 18th, they reached a trading-house at Pierre 
au Calumet, where they remained till the 22d. 
This place receives its name from the stone there 
procured, of which the Indians make their pipes. 
It is in latitude 57° 24'. Mr Stuart, the person in 
charge of the trading-house, kept a register of the 
weather, from which it appeared that the lowest 
temperature observed that winter at Pierre au Calu- 
met was — 43° and he informed Capt. Franklin that 
he had never known it lower than — 45° at Lake 
Athabasca, or Great Slave Lake. 

On the 23d, the party overtook an old Canadian 
who was conveying meat from some Indian lodges 
to Fort Chippewyan. He had on his sledge a bur- 
then of two hundred and fifty pounds, which was 
drawn by two miserable dogs. The travellers were 
much amused by an altercation which took place 
between him and their own voyageurs, about the 
merits of their respective dogs. The old roan of- 
fered to bet the whole of his wages that his two 
dogs, poor and lean as they were, would drag their 
load to Athabasca in less time than any three of 
theirs. In explanation, he said that he depended 



POLAR REGIONS. 383 

on his skill in driving, and gave them to understand 
that the voyageurs of Athabasca consider them- 
selves greatly superior to any others. 

Having now the guidance of the old Canadian, 
Capt. Franklin sent two of his party forward, with 
letters for Athabasca. On the 25th, at ten, A. M. 
he entered the river Embarras, the channel by 
which canoes usually enter the Lake. It is a nar- 
row, serpentine stream, running between alluvial 
banks, which afford nourishment to pines, poplars 
and willows. He had not advanced far, when he 
overtook the two men despatched in advance ; — 
stormy weather had compelled them to encamp, as 
the snow drifted too much to permit them to at- 
tempt to cross the Lake. Capt. Franklin was 
obliged to follow their example, and was detained 
the rest of the day. 

The weather moderated in the night, and the next 
morning the party arrived at Mamma-wee Lake. 
At four, P. M. they reached Fort Chippewyan, on 
Athabasca Lake. Thus terminated a winter journey 
of eight hundred and fiftyseven miles, attended by 
many disagreeable circumstances, not the least of 
which was the mal a raquette. The next evil was, 
being obliged to witness the wanton and unnecessa- 
ry cruelty of the Canadians to their clogs, which 
were beaten unmercifully. There were other in- 
conveniences, which were, however, speedily for- 
gotten, when they had found a hearty welcome at 
Fort Chippewyan. 

Here Capt. Franklin's first object was to obtain 
information respecting his future route ; and Beau- 



384 POLAR REGIONS. 

lieu, a man who had been brought up among the 
Copper and Dog Rib Indians,, was found capable to 
furnish it. An old Chippewyan, named Black Meat, 
also contributed his stock of knowledge, which was 
afterwards found to be tolerably correct. He de- 
scribed two rivers, which run east of the Copper 
Mine, and fall into the northern ocean, viz. the An- 
atessy, which issues from the Contwayto, or Rum 
Lake, and the Thlouceatessy, or Fish River, which 
rises near the eastern boundary of Great Slave 
Lake. He represented them both as shallow — too 
much so for navigation in canoes. Capt. Franklin 
then wrote to the traders of Great Slave Lake to 
communicate the object of his journey, and to re- 
quest information and assistance ; and farther, de- 
sired them to communicate his intentions to the 
Copper Indians, and to engage some of them as 
guides and hunters. 

There was little appearance of returning spring 
till the 8th of April, when some wild fowl were 
seen flying northward. In the middle of the month, 
the snow began to waste, and by degrees it disap- 
peared from the hills and the surface of the Lake. 
On the 21st, geese were killed, and four days after, 
flies were seen sporting in the sunshine. On the 
26th, the ice in the Athabasca river broke up, but 
there was no appearance of decay in that of the 
Lake. 

By the 10th of May, the trees began to put forth 
their leaves, and early flowers appeared. The mus- 
quitoes began to be troublesome, yet the ice still 
held fast. On the 17th and 18th, there were show- 



POLAR REGIONS. 385 

ers of rain with thunder and lightning. On the 
24th, the ice broke up and utterly disappeared, and 
traders from the different posts in the department 
arrived at Fort Chippewyan with their cargoes of 
furs. 



CHAPTER V. 

News from Great Slave Lake. — Voyageurs engaged. — Fort Chippewyan. 
— Lake of the Hills. — Chippewyan Tribe. — Their Dress. — Character. — 
Vanity. — Opinions. — Customs. — Abandonment of their Sick. — A Birch 
Canoe. 

On the 3d of June, Capt. Franklin received from 
Great Slave Lake the welcome tidings that the 
principal Chief of the Copper Indians had heard 
the news of his arrival in the country with joy, and 
had promised that he would accompany the expe- 
dition, with a party of his people. This promise he 
had given at the instance of Mr Wentzel, a trader, 
w T ho he wished might accompany him. These In- 
dians were to wait at Fort Providence, on the 
northern shore of Slave Lake, for Capt. Franklin's 
arrival. The Captain, therefore, had no doubt of 
being able to obtain provisions on his journey ; and 
this agreeable intelligence had such an effect on the 
Canadian voyageurs, that several of them now seem- 
ed disposed to offer their services. 

On the 5th of June, six Canadians were engaged 
to accompany the expedition. The bowman and 
steerman (the two most important hands) were to 
33 



386 POLAR REGIONS. 

receive wages at the rate of sixteen hundred livres 
Halifax per annum, and the rest twelve hundred. 
It was moreover stipulated that their pay should 
continue until their arrival at Montreal, or till they 
resumed the service of their present employers. 

Fort Chippewyan, the principal post of the Hud- 
son's Bay Company in this department, is conveni- 
ently situated to command Slave and Peace Rivers, 
whence the traders' canoes assemble in spring and 
autumn. On the first occasion they bring the furs 
collected during the winter, and on the latter they 
receive the merchandise destined for the Indians. 
Fort Chippewyan is an ancient establishment and 
stands on a rocky point of the northern shore, and 
has a tower which may be seen at a great distance. 
This addition was made for the purpose of watch- 
ing the Indians, who, several years ago, were in- 
stigated by one of their pretended prophets to de- 
stroy the traders, but by great vigilance on the part 
of the whites, their design was frustrated. 

That part of this extensive lake which is near 
the fort is, not improperly, called The Lake of the 
Hills. The northern shore and the islands are 
high and rocky. The southern shore is quite level, 
consisting of alluvial land which is liable to be 
flooded, lying between the different mouths of Elk 
River. The rocks of the northern shore are of 
sienite, covered with a thin soil, sufficient to sup- 
port a variety of firs and poplars, as well as shrubs, 
lichens, and mosses. Some of the hills are five or 
six hundred feet high, within a mile of the fort, and 
from their summits is a very fine view of the lake 



POLAR REGIONS. 387 

and the surrounding country. The land above the 
confluence of the Elk and main rivers, is of about 
the same height, and stretches southerly behind 
Pierre au Calumet. Opposite that establishment, 
on the western side of the river, is the Black Moun- 
tain, whence the Crees obtain their provisions and 
bark for their canoes. On the southern shore 
there is another range of hills, which runs toward 
Peace River. 

The residents of Fort Chippewyan depend al- 
most entirely for subsistence on the fishes which 
the lake affords, and which are caught in sufficient 
abundance during the winter; but when the ice 
breaks up, they remove into the smaller lakes and 
the rivers on the southern shore. They are aitih- 
awmeghj trout, carp, pike, and melhye. The hunt- 
ers also supply buffalo and moose meat, which is 
mostly converted into pemican, for the use of the 
voyageurs when travelling. This season there was 
an unusual scarcity. 

At the opening of the waters in spring, the In- 
dians resort to the trading-houses to settle their ac- 
counts and procure necessaries, which assemblage 
was formerly attended by much riot and confusion, 
occasioned by the free use of ardent spirits. We 
are happy to state that these are no longer used by 
the Hudson's Bay Company as an article of trade. 

The Indians belong to the great Chippewyan or 
northern family ; dialects of their language being 
spoken on the Peace and Mackenzie's Rivers, and 
also by the tribes of New Caledonia, as ascertained 
by Sir Alexander Mackenzie. They call them- 



388 POLAR REGIONS. 

selves Dinneh men, or Indians, but each horde has 
some distinctive epithet beside ; for instance, those 
who trade at Fort Chippewyan are called Indians 
of the Rising Sun, their original territory being 
between Athabasca and Great Slave Lakes and 
Churchill River. This country is frequented by 
reindeer, which furnish the Indians with subsistence 
and clothing. There are about an hundred and 
sixty hunters who carry their furs to Great Slave 
Lake, forty to Hay River, and two hundred and 
forty to Fort Chippewyan. 

They are a people by no means prepossessing in 
their appearance. They have broad faces, project- 
ing cheek-bones, and wide nostrils ; but they also 
generally have fine teeth and eyes. Their dress 
consists of a leathern hunting-shirt and leggins, 
over which a blanket is thrown, and a fur cap, or 
band, on the head. Their manner is reserved, and 
their habits are selfish and beggarly ; they are 
unceasingly importunate for everything they see. 
They give and receive with equal ill grace, snatch- 
ing a thing in the one instance, and throwing it at 
you in the other. Neither do they practise that 
hospitality which strikes a stranger so favorably 
among other Indians. A traveller may leave their 
lodges hungry, unless he has sufficient assurance to 
help himself from the kettle uninvited ; in which 
case the owner only notices the rudeness by a 
frown, as he considers it beneath his dignity to 
make disturbance about a piece of meat. 

It should be stated, as some relief to the dark 
shades of their character, that instances of theft are 



POLAR REGIONS. 389 

very rare among them. They are affectionate to 
their children, and profess some regard for their 
relatives, who are numerous, as they trace consan- 
guinity very far. 

They decline to pitch their tents where their re- 
lations have died, for fear of being reminded of 
their loss and of the happy hours they have spent 
there ; but the change of situation does not always 
obliterate sorrowful impressions. They will sit 
without their tents in groups, and give vent to their 
grief in loud lamentations. In cases of sickness, 
they resort to the medicinal powers of singing and 
drumming, and to conjurations. The conjurors are 
very assiduous and suffer great personal fatigue on 
such occasions. 

The chiefs have no power whatever, and receive 
no respect or obedience excepting from the youths 
of their own families. This is owing to the fact 
that their tribe is at peace with all the world, and 
because the young men can get what they want 
without their assistance. 

The Northern Indians evince no little vanity, by 
assuming to themselves the comprehensive title of 
' The People,' whilst they designate all other na- 
tions by the name of their particular country. If 
men were seen at a distance, and a Chippewyan was 
asked who those persons were, he would answer, 
The People, if he recognised them to belong to 
his tribe, and never Chippewyans ; but he would give 
them their respective names, if they were Euro- 
peans, Canadians, or Cree Indians. As they sup- 
pose that their ancestors came originally from the 
33* 



390 POLAR REGIONS. 

east, those who happen to be born in the' eastern 
part of their territory are considered of the purest 
blood. All the savages of this quarter, excepting 
the Dog Ribs, impute to themselves an eastern 
origin. 

The Chippewyans are considered to be less ex- 
pert hunters than the Crees, which probably arises 
from their residing much on the barren lands, where 
the reindeer are so numerous that little skill is re- 
quisite. A good hunter, however, is highly esteemed 
among them. The facility of procuring goods, since 
the commercial opposition commenced, has given 
great encouragement to their native indolence of 
disposition, as is manifested by the difference in 
the amount of their collections of furs and provi- 
sion between the late and former years. From six 
to eight hundred packs of furs used formerly to be 
sent from this department ; now the return seldom 
exceeds half that amount. The decrease in the 
provision has been already mentioned. 

The Northern Indians suppose that they origin- 
ally sprang from a dog ; and about five years ago, 
a superstitious fanatic so strongly pressed upon 
their minds the impropriety of employing this ani- 
mal, to which they were related, for purposes of la- 
bor, that they universally resolved against using dogs 
any more, and, strange as it may seem, destroyed 
all they had. They have now to drag everything 
themselves, on sledges. This laborious task falls 
most heavily on the women; nothing can more 
shock the feelings of a person accustomed to civi- 
lized life, than to witness the state of their degrada- 



POLAR REGIONS. 391 

tion. When a party is on a march, the women have 
to drag the tent, the meat, and whatever the hunter 
possesses, whilst he only carries his gun and medi- 
cine bag. In the evening they form the encamp- 
ment, cut wood, fetch water, and prepare the sup- 
per ; and then, perhaps, are not permitted to par- 
take of the fare until the men have finished. 
A successful hunter sometimes has two or three 
wives ; whoever happens to be the favorite as- 
sumes authority over the others, and has the man- 
agement of the tent. These men usually treat their 
wives unkindly, and even with harshness ; except, 
indeed, when they are about to increase the family, 
and then they show them much indulgence. 

Hearne charges the Chippewyans, with the dread- 
ful practice of abandoning, in extremity, their aged 
and sick people. 

One instance only came under the observation 
of Captain Franklin, which was attended by pal- 
liating circumstances. An old woman and a boy 
ten years old arrived at Fort Chippewyan, who had 
been left in their camp by their people when much 
reduced by sickness. Two or three days after 
their departure the woman gained a little strength, 
and was able, with the assistance of the boy, to 
paddle a canoe to the post, where they were sup- 
ported till enabled to go in search of some other 
relation who, they expected, would treat them 
more kindly. It afterwards appeared that the wo- 
man bore a very bad character, having been guilty 
of infanticide, and that her companions thought her 
offences merited the desertion. 



392 POLAR REGIONS. 

This tribe entertain the most inveterate hatred 
toward the Esquimaux, though since their present 
intimate connexion with the traders, they have dis- 
continued their war excursions against them. 

The weather was extremely variable in the 
month of June, and the musquitoes swarmed about 
the house, inflicting so much pain on its inmates 
that they were compelled to keep their rooms con- 
stantly filled with smoke, as the only means of driv- 
ing them away. On the 2d of July, the canoe in- 
tended for the use of the expedition was finished ; 
and as it was like those used by Indians and In- 
dian traders all over the north and northwest, a de- 
scription may not be deemed out of place here. 
Its extreme length was thirtytwo feet six inches, 
including the bow and stern pieces, its greatest 
breadth was four feet ten inches ; but it was only 
two feet nine inches forward, where the bowman 
sat, and two feet four inches behind, where the 
steersman was placed ; and its depth was one foot 
eleven and a quarter inches. There were seventy- 
three hoops of thin cedar, and a layer of slender 
laths of the same wood within the frame. These 
feeble vessels of bark will carry twentyfive pieces 
of goods, each weighing ninety pounds, exclusive 
of the necessary provisions and baggage for the 
crew of five or six men, amounting in the whole to 
about three thousand three hundred pounds' weight. 
This great lading they annually carry between the 
depots and the posts, in the interior ; and it rarely 
happens that any accidents occur, if they be man- 
aged by experienced bowmen and steersmen, on 



POLAR REGIONS. 393 

whose skill the safety of the canoe entirely depends 
in the rapids and difficult places. When a total 
portage is made, these two men carry the canoe, 
and they often run with it, though its weight is es- 
timated at about three hundred pounds, exclusive 
of the poles and oars, which are occasionally left in 
where the distance is short. 



CHAPTER VI. 

An Accident. — Arrival of Dr Richardson. — Arrangements for Departure.-^ 3, 
Departure. — Portages. — A Buffalo killed. — The Party arrive at Great 
Slave Lake. — At Fort Providence. — Conference with Akaitcho. 

On the 7th of July, some men and their families 
who had been sent off to search for Indians with 
whom they intended to pass the summer, returned 
to the fort, in consequence of a serious accident 
having befallen their canoe in the Red Deer River ; 
when they were in the act of hauling up a strong 
rapid, the line broke, the canoe was overturned, and 
two of the party narrowly escaped drowning ; for- 
tunately the women and children happened to be on 
shore, or, in all probability, they would have per- 
ished in the confusion of the scene. Nearly all 
their stores, their guns, and fishing-nets, were lost, 
and they could not procure any other food for the 
last four days than some unripe berries. 

On the 13th, the party at Fort Chippewyan had 
the pleasure to welcome their long separated friends, 



394 POLAR REGIONS. 

Dr Richardson and Mr Back, who it will be remem- 
bered, had been left at Cumberland House. They 
arrived in perfect health, having made a very ex- 
peditious journey in two canoes, notwithstanding a 
detention of three days, in consequence of the 
melancholy death of one of their bowmen, by the 
upsetting of one of {heir canoes in a rapid. These 
gentlemen had brought all the stores they could pro- 
cure at Cumberland and Isle a la Crosse, though 
these were very scanty. The prospect of com- 
mencing so long a journey, almost destitute of pro- 
visions and stores, was distressing to the officers, 
and discouraging to the men ; but it was evident 
that any delay would be very imprudent, as Fort 
Chippewyan could not furnish subsistence for so 
large a party. They therefore hastened the ar- 
rangements for a speedy departure. A final ar- 
rangement was made respecting the voyageurs who 
were to accompany the party, in which there w r as 
no difficulty, as ten Canadians, brought by Dr Rich- 
ardson from Cumberland were desirous to proceed. 
When the number was completed, Capt. Franklin 
had sixteen Canadians, and a worthy English sea- 
man, John Hepburn by name, beside two interpret- 
ers whom he w y as to receive at Great Slave Lake. 
An equipment of necessary articles w^as given to 
each man engaged, and the remaining goods were 
made up in bales. 

On the 18th, the party started from Fort Chip- 
pewyan, and at two, P. M., entered Stony River, 
one of the discharges of Lake Athabasca into Siave 
River, This narrow stream is confined between 



POLAR REGIONS. 395 

low, swampy banks, covered with willows, dwarf 
birch and alder. At five they passed its conflu- 
ence with Peace River. The Slave, formed by 
the union of these two, is about three quarters of a 
mile wide. They descended this great stream 
with much rapidity, and, after passing through sev- 
eral narrow channels, crossed a spot where the 
waters had a violent whirling motion with no other 
inconvenience than an inability to steer the canoes, 
which were whirled about in every direction by 
the eddies, till the current swept them beyond the 
sphere of their influence. They encamped at seven 
on the bank. 

At ten the next morning they reached the mouth 
of Dog River, where they halted to fish, but in vain. 
The day after, in passing a rapid, two of the canoes 
came in such violent contact that one of them had 
her bow broken off. This injury being repaired in 
two hours, they next passed a portage of four hun- 
dred yards, and afterwards two more. At the latter oi 
these, as the men were carrying the canoes over, 
they let one of them fall, and it was broken in two. 
Two hours passed in sewing the shattered pieces 
together, and covering the seams with pitch; ren- 
dered it as efficient as ever. Such are these frail 
vehicles ; very easily broken, and almost as easily 
repaired. After this, they passed four more portages, 
including the last on the way to Great Slave Lake. 
At the foot of this they encamped. It is called 
The Portage of the Drowned, from an accident which 
had taken place some years before, and which we 
shall relate here. Two canoes arrived at the up- 



396 POLAR REGIONS. 

per end of the portage, in one of which there was 
an experienced guide. This man, judging from 
the height of the river, deemed it practicable to 
shoot the rapid, and determined upon trying it. He 
accordingly placed himself in the bow of his canoe, 
having previously agreed, that if the passage was 
found easy, he should, on reaching the bottom of 
the rapid, fire a musket, as a signal for the other 
canoe to follow. The rapid proved dangerous, and 
called forth all the skill of the guide, and the utmost 
exertion of his crew, and they narrowly escaped 
destruction. Just as they were landing, an unfor- 
tunate fellow, seizing the loaded fowling-piece, fired 
at a duck which rose at the instant. The guide, 
anticipating the consequences, ran with the utmost 
haste to the other end of the portage, but he was 
too late ; the other canoe had pushed off, and he 
arrived only to witness the fate of his comrades. 
They got alarmed in the middle of the rapid, the 
canoe was upset, and every man perished. 

The portages and rapids passed this day are oc- 
casioned by an assemblage of islands and rocky 
ledges which obstruct the river, and divide it into 
many narrow channels, two of which are rendered 
still more difficult by an accumulation of drift tim- 
ber. The rocks which form the bed of the stream 
and the numerous islands are granite. The dis- 
tance made this day was thirteen miles. 

The next day passed without adventure, unless 
seeing several salt springs be such ; but in the morn- 
ing of the 22d, as the canoes turned a point, a buf- 
falo plunged into the river before them. A fire 



POLAR REGIONS. 39? 

was opened upon him from four muskets, and he 
fell, but not before he had received fourteen balls 
in his body. The canoes were speedily supplied 
with meat ; and after this good fortune the voyage urs 
paddled merrily onward, keeping time to their gay- 
est songs. This supply enabled them to proceed 
without delay to Slave Lake. 

On the 24th, they passed the mouth of a broad 
channel leading to the north-east, termed La Grande 
Riviere de Jean, one of the two large branches 
by which the river pours its waters into Slave 
Lake. The flooded delta at the mouth of the river 
is intersected by several smaller channels, through 
one of which the expedition passed, and by eight, 
A. M. reached an establishment of the Northwest 
Company on Moose-Deer Island, in Slave Lake. 
Here Capt. Franklin engaged Pierre St Germain, 
who spoke the language of the Copper Indians, as 
an interpreter, and also obtained a considerable 
supply of provision. 

Moose-Deer Island is about a mile in diameter, 
and rises towards the centre about three hundred 
feet above the lake. Its soil is in general sandy, in 
some parts swampy. The varieties of the northern 
berries grow abundantly on it. The Northwest 
Company's Fort is in latitude 61° 11' 8" N.; longi- 
tude 113° 51' 37" W., being two hundred and sixty 
statute miles distant from Fort Chippewyan, by the 
river course. The variation of the compass is 25° 
40' 47' / E. The houses of the two Companies are 
small, and have a bleak northern aspect. There 
are vast accumulations of drift wood on the shores 
34 



398 POLAR REGIONS. 

of the lake, brought down by the river, which afford 
plenty of fuel. The inhabitants live principally on 
the fish, which the lake at certain seasons furnishes 
in great abundance ; of these, the white fish, trout, 
and poisson inconnu are considered the best. They 
also procure moose, buffalo* and reindeer ^meat 
occasionally from their hunters ; but these animals 
are generally found at the distance of several days' 
walk from the forts. The Indians who trade here 
are Chippewyans. Beavers, martens, foxes, and 
musk-rats, are caught in numbers, in the vicinity of 
this great body of water. The musquitoes here 
were still a serious annoyance, but less numerous 
than before. They were in some degree replaced 
by a small sand-fly, whose bite is succeeded by a 
copious flow of blood, and considerable swelling, 
but is attended with incomparably less irritation 
than the puncture of the musquito. 

On the 27th, the party set forward again, and 
proceeded along the south shore of the lake to 
Stony Island, where they breakfasted. This isle 
is merely a rock of gneiss, which rises forty or fifty 
feet from the water. As the day was fine, they 
then ventured to paddle across, in a northern di- 
rection to the Rein-Deer Islands, distant thirteen 
miles, and reached them in safety. These islands 
consist of granite, and are from one to two hundred 
feet high. They are for the most part naked, but 
on the larger ones there is a little soil, and a few 
groves of pines. The party encamped on one of 
them. The next day they ran for some hours be- 
fore a strong breeze and a heavy swell, till they 
were obliged to seek shelter on an island. 



POLAR REGIONS. 399 

In the afternoon, the wind and swell subsided, 
and they pursued their course to the Big Island of 
Mackenzie, and the next morning reached Fort 
Providence. Here they found Mr Wentzel, the 
interpreter Adam, and an Indian guide, waiting 
their arrival. Immediately on landing, the Indians 
were apprised of their coming, by a fire on the top 
of a neighbouring hill. 

Mr Wentzel gave Capt. Franklin all the in- 
formation he had received from the Indians. The 
duties allotted to this gentleman were, the manage- 
nient of the Indians, the superintendence of the 
voyageurs, and the obtaining and general distri- 
bution of provisions and stores. As he had been 
accustomed to execute similar services for twenty 
years, he was well qualified to perform these duties. 

In order to receive Akaitcho and his followers, 
the officers arrayed themselves in their uniforms, 
well knowing that with these people much depends 
on appearances. On landing, the chief walked up 
to Mr Wentzel in a grave and dignified manner, 
looking neither to the right nor to the left till he 
reached the hall, where he was introduced to the 
officers. He said he was rejoiced to see such great 
chiefs on his lands ; his tribe was poor, but he loved 
white men, and hoped their arrival would greatly 
benefit his people. The only material point in his 
harangue was, that he was ready to fulfil his en- 
gagements, and accompany the expedition. 

In reply to this speech, Capt. Franklin explained 
the objects of his mission, in the manner best calcu- 
lated to insure his cooperation. He said that the 



400 POLAR REGIONS. 

greatest chief in the world, who was the sovereign 
of ail the traders, having learned that his red chil- 
dren were in want of many articles, in consequence 
of the difficulty and delay of transportation, had 
sent him in search of a passage by sea, by which 
large quantities of goods might be brought. He 
said he was desirous of the aid of the Indians, as 
guides and hunters ; and finally, he was enjoined by 
the great chief to recommend that all hostilities 
should cease throughout the country, particularly 
between the Indians and the Esquimaux, whom he 
considered as his children, in common with the 
other natives. By way of enforcing this last point, 
the captain assured him that if any quarrel arose 
between his people and the Esquimaux, the conse- 
quence would be the forfeiture of all advantages to 
be derived from the expedition. 

The chief, whose name was Akaitcho, or Big 
Foot, replied by a renewal of his assurances that 
he would attend the party to the end of their jour- 
ney, and would do his utmost to provide the means 
of subsistence. He admitted that his tribe had 
made war on the Esquimaux, but said that, they 
were now desirous of peace, and added, that as 
the Esquimaux were very treacherous, he recom- 
mended much caution in dealing with them. 



POLAR REGIONS. 401 



CHAPTER VII. 



Akaitcho. — Preparations for the Journey. — Fort Providence. — Journey up 
Yellow Knife River. — Want of Food. — Yellow Knife River. — Mutiny of 
the Voyageurs. — The- Party reach their Winter (Quarters. — 'Conduct of 
Akaitcho. — Departure of Messrs Back and Hood. 

When Akaitcho and his people had communi- 
cated all the information they possessed, Captain 
Franklin presented them with medals, informing 
them that these were tokens of friendship and 
pledges of sincerity. This donation being made 
in the presence of all the hunters, was highly satis- 
factory to them, but they avoided all demonstra- 
tions of joy, considering them derogatory to their 
dignity. During the whole of the interview, the 
chief evinced much penetration, and impressed the 
officers with a very favorable opinion of his intel- 
lectual powers. A quantity of goods was pre- 
sented to him, and he retired with his people to 
make the necessary preparations to commence the 
journey on the morrow. 

On the 1st of August, the Indians started, intend- 
ing to wait for the party at the mouth of Yellow 
Knife River. The whites remained, to pack their 
stores in bales of eighty pounds each. These con- 
sisted of gunpowder, lead, guns, pistols, knives, 
tools of various kinds, articles of merchandize for 
the Indians and Esquimaux, nets and fishing-lines, 
and provisions for ten days consumption. When 
all was ready, the party consisted of twentyeight 
persons, including the wives of three of the voya- 
34* 



402 POLAR REGIONS. 

geurs, who were brought for the purpose of making 
clothes and mocasins at the winter establishment. 

Fort Providence is in latitude 62° 17' and lon- 
gitude 114° 9'. It is distant from Moose-Deer Is- 
land sixtysix geographic miles. This is the last 
establishment of the traders in this direction, but 
the Northwest Company have two to the northward 
of it on the Mackenzie River. It has been erected 
for the convenience of the Copper and Dog- Rib 
Indians, who generally bring such a quantity of 
reindeer meat, that the residents are enabled, 
out of their superabundance, to send annually some 
provisions to the fort at Moose-Deer Island. They 
also occasionally procure moose and buffalo meat, 
but these animals are not numerous on this side of 
the lake. Few furs are collected. Les poissons 
inconnus, trout, pike, carp, and white-fish, are very 
plentiful, and on these the residents principally 
subsist. Their great supply of fish is procured in 
the latter part of September and the beginning of 
October, but there are a few taken daily in the nets 
during the winter. The surrounding country con- 
sists almost entirely of coarse-grained granite, fre- 
quently enclosing large masses of reddish feldspar. 
These rocks form hills about a mile behind the 
house, which attain an elevation of three hundred or 
four hundred feet ; their surface is generally naked, 
but in the valleys between them grow a few spruce, 
aspen, and birch trees, together with a variety of 
shrubs and berry-bearing plants. 

In the afternoon of the 2d, the party started in 
high spirits, heartily glad that their course was 



POLAR REGIONS. 403 

to be through a line of country hitherto unexplored. 
They proceeded northward along the lake, and en- 
camped eight miles from Fort Providence. The 
eastern shores of the Great Slave Lake are very 
imperfectly known ; none of the traders have vis- 
ited them, and the Indians give such loose and un- 
satisfactory accounts, that no estimation can be 
formed of its extent in that direction. These men 
say there is a communication from its eastern ex- 
tremity by a chain of lakes, with a shallow river, 
which discharges its waters into the sea. This 
stream they call the Thlouee-tessy, and report it to 
be navigable for Indian canoes only. The forms of 
the south and western shores are better known 
from the survey of Sir Alexander Mackenzie, and in 
consequence of the canoes having to pass and re- 
pass along these borders annually between Moose- 
Deer Island and Mackenzie's River. Capt. Frank- 
lin's observations made the breadth of the lake, be- 
tween Stony Island and the north main shore, sixty 
miles less than it is laid down in Arrowsmith's map ; 
and there is also a considerable difference in the 
longitude of the eastern side of the bay, which he 
entered. 

This lake, owing to its great depth, is seldom 
completely frozen over before the last week in No- 
vember, and the ice, which is generally seven feet 
thick, breaks up about the middle of June, three 
weeks later than that of the Slave River. The 
only known outlet to this vast body of water, which 
receives so many streams on its north and south 
shores, is the Mackenzie River. 



404 POLAR REGIONS. 

The next morning they proceeded to the mouth 
of Yellow Knife River, where they found Akaitcho 
and his hunters encamped. In company with them 
they paddled up the river, which is an hundred 
and fifty yards wide, and in an hour came to a cas- 
cade, which compelled them to make a portage. 
Akaitcho caused himself to be paddled by his slave, 
a young man of the Dog Rib tribe, whom he had 
taken by force from his friends. When he thought 
himself out of the reach of observation, however, 
he laid much of his state aside, and assisted in the 
labor ; and on better acquaintance, he did not hesi- 
tate to be seen paddling, or even carrying his canoe 
at the portages. Several of the canoes were pad- 
dled by squaws, who were very noisy, and fre- 
quently quarrelled ; and the weakest was generally 
clamorous in her lamentations, which were not less 
when her husband settled the difference by a few 
blows of his paddle. 

On the 4th, they crossed a small lake, and then 
passed two portages. After this they came to 
three strong rapids, and immediately after to a part 
of the river where the rapids were so frequent, that, 
to avoid them, they carried the canoes into a chain 
of small lakes, which they entered by a portage of 
nine hundred yards. 

By the 5th of August, all their provision was 
exhausted excepting some portable soup, and the 
hunters were sent forward in quest of reindeer. 
Akaitcho himself was always furnished with a por- 
tion of the meals of the officers, as a token of re- 
gard which the traders had taught the chiefs to 
expect. 



POLAR REGIONS. 405 

The nets were set every night, but with little or 
no success ; and the officers were obliged to issue 
portable soup and arrowroot, food too unsubstan- 
tial to support the voyageurs under their exhaust- 
ing daily labor ; and they could not furnish even 
enough of this to satisfy their desires. At last, on 
the 9th, the party reached Lower Carp Lake, 
where Akaitcho said many fishes might be caught ;. 
and Captain Franklin resolved to halt for two or 
three days, to fish, as well as to recruit the men, 
several of whom were lame. The chief himself 
went forward to look after the hunters, and prom- 
ised to make a fire, as a signal, if they had killed 
any reindeer. All the Indians left them at the' 
same time to hunt. 

On the 10th and 11th, the nets caught enough to 
give the men two hearty meals ; and having recov- 
ered from their fatigue, they proceeded to Upper 
Carp Lake, in longitude 113° 46'. The country 
through which they had been travelling consists; 
mostly of granite, in some spots intermixed with, 
mica slate, often passing into clay slate. Scarcely 
had the party quitted their encampment, when an 
Indian met them with the agreeable intelligence 
that the hunters had made several fires as signals 
of success in the chase. This inspired the voya- 
geurs with fresh energy, and they quickly paddled 
through Rein-Deer Lake, on the north side of which 
they found the hunter's canoes. The Yellow Knife 
had now dwindled into a brook, and they could 
not trace it beyond the next lake. Its source is in 
latitude 64° 1', and longitude 113° 36'. Its length is 



406 POLAR REGIONS. 

an hundred and fiftysix statute miles. Though this 
river is sufficiently deep and broad for canoes, it is 
too much interrupted by falls and rapids ever to 
become a channel for the conveyance of merchan- 
dize. 

Akaitcho, who was here with his family, pointed 
out the distant smoke of the hunters' fires. From 
the top of a neighbouring hill the prospect was 
agreeably diversified with hill and valley, and by 
the appearance of twelve lakes in different direc- 
tions. On the borders of these lakes a few pine 
groves occur ; but in general, the country is desti- 
tute of vegetation, excepting a few shrubs and 
lichens. The hills are of gneiss, but their acclivi- 
ties are covered with a coarse gravelly soil. 

On the 13th, the voyageurs, who had for some 
days been murmuring at their meagre diet, broke 
out into open mutiny ; and some of them declared 
that they would not proceed, unless more food was 
given them. This conduct was the more blameable, 
as they were rapidly approaching the fires of the 
hunters. They merely, however, followed the com- 
mon practice of their class, who always try how far 
they can impose on a new master, and are intracta- 
ble ever after if he yields to them. On this occa- 
sion, Capt. Franklin threatened them with the se- 
verest punishment, and they again went forward. 
Just as the party encamped, four of the hunters met 
them with a load of meat, which completely revived 
the spirits of the Canadians ; and they never again 
reflected on the officers for bringing them into an 
inhospitable country, where the means of subsist- 
ence could not be procured. 



POLAR REGIONS. 407 

The hunters killed a great many reindeer, and 
the party no longer suffered from want of food. 
They crossed many more lakes and portages, and 
on the 19th reached the lake where Akaitcho pro- 
posed that they should pass the winter. 

The prospect was not the most agreeable, as the 
borders of the lake seemed scantily furnished with 
wood, and that of a kind too small for the purposes 
of building. The next morning, they paddled to 
the western extremity, where, on the bank of a 
small stream, they found that the situation chosen 
possessed all the advantages they could desire. 
The trees were numerous and of larger size, some 
of them two feet in diameter. They determined to 
erect their dwellings on the summit of the bank, 
which commands a fine prospect of the surround- 
ing country. The view in front is bounded at the 
distance of three miles by round-backed hills : to 
the eastward and westward lie Winter and Round 
Rock Lakes, which are connected by Winter River, 
whose banks are well clad with pines, and orna- 
mented with a profusion of mosses, shrubs, and 
lichens. The united length of the portages they 
had crossed, since leaving Fort Providence, is twen- 
tyone statute miles and a half; and as the men 
had to traverse each portage four times, with a load 
of one hundred and eighty pounds, and return three 
times light, they w T alked, in the whole, upwards of 
one hundred and fifty miles. The total length of 
the voyage from Chippewyan is five hundred and 
fiftythree miles. 

The next morning the voyageurs were divided 



408 POLAR REGIONS. 

into two parties, the one to cut wood for building, 
and the other to bring in the deer killed by the 
hunters. To commence their stock of provisions, 
the carcasses of seven reindeer were brought to 
the spot that very evening. 

The next day Akaitcho (who had been absent 
on a visit to some of his tribe) arrived with his 
party, having only obtained fifteen deer. They 
had heard of the death of the chiefs brother-in-law 
and had spent their time in bewailing the loss, 
instead of hunting. The decease of this man had 
also caused another part of the tribe, on whom Capt. 
Franklin depended for supplies, to remove to Great 
Bear Lake, out of the line of his proposed route. 
These circumstances were mortifying ; and to in- 
crease the evil, Akaitcho now refused to accompa 
ny them any farther that season, though he was wil- 
ling to proceed in the spring. All argument was 
lost upon him, and he even threatened to leave them 
and return to Fort Providence. It was therefore 
resolved to despatch a party to the Coppermine, to 
examine the route ; and with this intention the chief 
expressed himself well pleased. 

On the 28th, Akaitcho came into Capt. Franklin's 
tent, to make inquiries respecting an eclipse which 
he had been told was to take place. He was much 
astonished that the whites should know the exact 
time at which this event would happen, and re- 
marked that it was a proof of their superiority over 
the Indians. The Captain took advantage of this 
occasion to read him a moral lecture, respecting the 
propriety of fulfilling his engagements ; and Akait- 



POLAR REGIONS. 409 

cho promised to do his best for the expedition in 
return for the interesting communication just made. 
On the 29th, Messrs Back and Hood started for 
the Coppermine. As we shall go over the same 
ground with the whole party, we shall not follow 
them on this occasion. 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Trip to the Coppermine. — Fort Enterprise. — Reindeer. — Departure of 
Messrs Back and Wentzel. — Conduct of the Indians. — Frozen Fishes. — 
News from Slave Lake. — Green Stockings. — Temperature. — Diet. — Ar- 
rival from Slave Lake. — Esquimaux Interpreters. 

On the morning of the 9th of September, Captain 
Franklin and Dr Richardson set off, on foot, for the 
Coppermine River, under the guidance of an old 
Copper Indian named Keskarrah. They reached 
the end of their journey on the fourth day, striking 
the river at an expansion called Point Lake, the 
latitude of which is 65° 9', and the longitude 112° 
57'. They then walked to the main channel of the 
river, which they found deep, and between high, 
rocky banks, with clusters of spruce-trees on their 
borders. The hills in this neighbourhood are higher 
than those about the winter-quarters, but stand in 
the same detached manner, without any connecting 
ranges ; and the bottom of every valley is occupied 
either by a small lake or a marsh. On the banks 
of such of these lakes as communicate with the 
Coppermine there are a few groves of spruce-trees. 
35 



410 POLAR REGIONS. 

After making these observations, the gentlemen re- 
turned to the spot from whence they came, and 
found, on their arrival, that Messrs Hood and Back 
had also arrived. 

The winter house was completed by the 6th of 
October, and received the name of Fort Enterprise. 
It was merely a log building, divided into a hall, 
three bed-rooms, and a kitchen. The walls and 
roof were plastered with mud, and the floors were 
of planks rudely hewed with the axe. The same 
implement served (with the assistance of the crook- 
ed knife,) to construct tables, chairs, and bed- 
steads. The crooked knife serves the Indian and 
Canadian for plane, chisel, and auger. Snow-shoes 
and canoe timbers are made with it, as well as 
bowls and spoons ; and with it the deals of dog 
sledges are reduced to their requisite thinness and 
polish. 

Two men were now appointed to fish, and others 
were sent for meat as the hunters procured it. 
This latter employment, though laborious, is liked 
by the Canadians, as they claim a right to help them- 
selves to the best parts. The reindeer were now 
in the vicinity of the house, and the success of the 
hunters was consequently great. Capt. Franklin 
estimated the numbers he saw, during a short walk, 
at two thousand. They feed on the lichens, and go 
in herds of different sizes, from ten to an hundred 
in each. 

On the 18th, Messrs Back and Wentzel set out 
for Fort Providence, to make the necessary arrange- 
ments for transDortingf the stores expected from 



POLAR REGIONS* 411 

Cumberland, and to endeavour to procure additional 
supplies from Slave Lake. Ammunition was essen- 
tial to existence, and tobacco was requisite as well 
for the comfort of the Canadians, as to preserve the 
friendship of the Indians. 

On the 26th, Akaitcho and his Indians took up 
their quarters at the house, the hunting- having ter- 
minated in the neighbourhood, on account of the 
emigration of the reindeer. The arrival of this 
party was a serious inconvenience, as the want of 
ammunition prevented Capt. Franklin from equip- 
ping them for hunting, and was obliged to make 
large issues of provisions to them. Although they 
are accustomed to subsist themselves for a consid- 
erable part of the year by fishing, or snaring the 
deer, without having recourse to fire-arms, yet, on 
the present occasion, they felt little inclined to do 
so, and gave scope to their natural love of ease, as 
long as the store-house seemed to be well stocked. 
Nevertheless, as they were conscious of impairing 
future resources, they did not fail 5 occasionally, to 
remind the Captain that it was not their fault, to 
express an ardent desire to go hunting, and to re- 
quest a supply of ammunition,, although they knew 
that it was not in his power to give it. 

The fishing, having failed as the weather became 
more severe, was given up on the 5th of November. 
It had procured about one thousand two hundred 
white fishy from two to three pounds each. There 
are two other species of Coregoni in Winter Lake, 
Back's grayling and the round fish; and a few trout, 
pike, methye, and red carp, were also occasionally 



412 POLAR REGIONS. 

obtained from the nets. It may be worthy of no- 
tice here, that the fish froze as they were taken out 
of the nets, in a short time became a solid mass of 
ice, and by a blow or two of the hatchet were easi- 
ly split open, when the intestines might be removed 
in one lump. If in this completely frozen state they 
were thawed before the fire, they recovered their 
animation. This was particularly the case with the 
carp, and it was observed repeatedly, as Dr Rich- 
ardson occupied himself in examining the structure 
of the different species of fish, and was always, in 
the winter, under the necessity of thawing before 
he could cut them. We have seen a carp recover 
so far as to leap about with much vigour, after it 
had been frozen for thirtysix hours. 

On the 23d of November, a messenger arrived 
with letters from Fort Providence, some of which 
were dated in England the preceding April. The 
party were not so fortunate with regard to their 
stores, some of which had been left on the road 
from York Factory, by the misconduct of the per- 
son to whom they were intrusted. They were 
more fortunate in the arrival of two Esquimaux in- 
terpreters at Slave Lake. 

There was much trouble this winter in bringing 
forward the necessary stores, and a report, to the 
disadvantage of the officers, which was circulated 
among the Indians by one of the traders at Slave 
Lake, proved a serious detriment, as it shook the 
confidence of the savages in their ability to reward 
them. 

Having received one hundred balls from Fort 



POLAR REGIONS. 413 

Providence by the messenger, Capt. Franklin dis- 
tributed them among the Indians, informing the 
leader at the same time, that the residence of so 
large a party as his at the house, amounting, with 
women and children, to forty persons, was producing 
a serious reduction in the stock of provisions. He 
acknowledged the justice of the statement, and 
promised to remove as soon as his party had prepared 
snow-shoes and sledges for themselves. Under 
one pretext or other, however, their departure was 
delayed until the 10th of the month, when they left 
the house, having previously received one of the 
fishing-nets, and all the ammunition at the post. 
The leader left his aged mother with two female at- 
tendants, requesting that if she died during his ab- 
sence she might be buried at a distance from the 
fort, that he might not be reminded of his loss when 
he visited them. 

Keskarrah, the guide, also remained, with his 
wife and daughter, being too old and feeble to hunt. 
While speaking of this family we may remark that 
the daughter, called Green Stockings from her 
dress, is considered to be a beauty by her tribe. 
Mr Hood drew her portrait, though her mother was 
averse to her sitting for it. She was afraid, she 
said, that her daughter's likeness would induce the 
great chief of England to send for the original. 
The young lady, however, was not deterred by any 
such fear. Though under sixteen years of age, she 
had already,been an object of contention between her 
countrymen, had belonged to two husbands, and 
35* 



414 POLAR REGIONS. 

would probably have been the wife of many more, 
had not her mother required her services as a nurse. 

The weather in December was the coldest Capt. 
Franklin had experienced in America. At one 
time, the mercury sunk to 57° below zero, and never 
rose beyond 6° above it ; the mean for the month 
was — 29°, During this intense cold the air was 
generally calm, and the wood-cutters went about 
their ordinary occupations without any extraordina- 
ry precautions, and without feeling any bad effects. 
They wore shirts of reindeer skin, leathern mittens, 
and fur caps ; but none of them used any defence 
for the face or needed any. 

It may be interesting to the reader to know how 
the travellers passed their time at this season. A 
considerable portion of it was occupied in writing 
their journals. Newspapers and letters from Eng- 
land were read and commented on, again and again. 
In the evenings the officers joined the men in the 
hall and took part in their games. Charts were 
made, drawings taken, and in short so various were 
their resources that the time was never found to 
hang heavy. 

Their diet was of reindeer flesh, varied twice a 
week by fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but 
they had no vegetables whatever. On Sundays they 
had chocolate, but their greatest luxury was tea 
(without sugar,) of which they regularly partook 
twice a day. With reindeer fat and strips of cotton 
shirts they made candles, and John Hepburn ac- 
quired considerable skill in the manufacture of 
soap, from the wood ashes, salt and fat. 



POLAR REGIONS. 415 

On the 15th of January, seven of their men, who 
had been with Mr Back, returned, with a supply of 
rum, powder, tobacco, and clothing. They had 
been twentyone days on the road from Slave Lake, 
and their labor was evinced by their sledge col- 
lars having worn out the shoulders of their coats. 
Their loads weighed from sixty to ninety pounds 
each, exclusive of their bedding and provisions. 
Such are the ordinary winter employments of the 
Canadian voyageurs. The spirits, which were proof, 
were frozen, but after standing some time by the 
fire, they acquired the consistency of honey. The 
temperature of the liquid, even in this state was so 
low as instantly to convert the moisture which con- 
densed on the surface of the dram glass into ice. 
Yet each of the voyageurs swallowed his dram with- 
out inconvenience, or complaining of the toothache. 

Captain Franklin was afterwards informed that 
his carriers had broached the cask on the way, and 
had spent two days in drinking ; which shows how 
little confidence can be placed in a voyageur* 
where food or spirits are in question. 

On the 27th, Mr Wentzel arrived with the two 
Esquimaux interpreters, whose names were Augus- 
tus and Junius. The former spoke English. On 
comparing the language of these men with a copy 
of St John's Gospel, printed for the Moravian mis- 
sionary settlements on the coast of Labrador, it ap- 
peared to be radically and essentially the same. 
These interpreters belonged to a tribe which re- 
sides a little northward of Churchill. They were 
thorough Esquimaux, having but a very indistinct 
idea of the Deity. 



416 POLAR REGIONS. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Message from the Hook. — Conduct of the Interpreters. — Akaitcho. — April. 
— Suffering of the Indians. — Sliding down Hill. — Advance of the Sea- 
son. — A Supply of Food. — May Weather. — Arrival of Water-Fowl. — 
Akaitcho arrives. — His Conduct. 

In February the temperature was lower than in 
the preceding month, though not so low as in De- 
cember, the mean being — 25°, 

On the 5th of March, the rest of the people ar- 
rived from Slave Lake with the remainder of the 
expected stores. On the 23d, the winter's stock of 
provisions were expended, and the nets produced 
but two or three fishes per diem. On the following 
day, two Indians arrived with a message from the 
Hook, the chief next in authority to Akaitcho 
among the Copper Indians. His band was en- 
camped near Great Bear Lake, and he offered to 
provide a quantity of dried meat on the banks of the 
Coppermine early in the summer, provided Captain 
Franklin would furnish him with goods and ammu- 
nition. The Captain had none to spare, but told 
the messengers that he would gladly receive leather 
or food from the Hook at their meeting, and would 
pay for them by notes on the Northwest Company's 
Post at Slave Lake. The Indians assured him that 
the Hook would look anxiously for his passing. 

It now appeared that St Germain, the inter- 
preter, had created a new difficulty. In his inter- 
course with the Indians he had imbibed fearful 



POLAR REGIONS. 417 

ideas of the danger of the enterprise, which aug- 
mented as the time of departure drew nigh. He 
and Adam, the other linguist, expressed their dislike 
to the journey in strong terms, to the voyageurs 
and Indians, who are accustomed to pay much 
deference to the opinions of an interpreter. For 
this conduct Capt. Franklin called St Germain to 
account, threatening to send him to England for 
trial, if the expedition should be stopped through 
his fault. After this menace, he was more circum- 
spect in his behaviour. 

On the 29th, Akaitcho arrived at the house, and 
was the next morning summoned to a conference 
which commenced by showing him the maps and 
charts, and explaining future intentions. He was 
greatly pleased with this mark of respect, and be- 
gan his speech by saying, ' that, though a great num- 
ber of idle reports had been flying about the barren 
grounds,' he was convinced that the officers had 
told him nothing 1 but tbe truth. He promised that 
his people should accompany the expedition to the 
mouth of the Coppermine with as little delay as 
possible ; and if they did not meet with Esquimaux 
there, that they should proceed still farther along 
the coast. He was anxious, he said, to have a 
friendly interview with the Esquimaux, and he far- 
ther requested that if any of the party should meet 
the Dog Ribs, they would endeavour to persuade 
them to live on friendly terms with his tribe. 

The commencement of April was fine, and for 
several days a considerable thaw took place in the 
heat of the sun, which, laying bare some of the lich- 



418 POLAR REGIONS. 

ens on the sides of the hills, produced a consequent 
movement of the reindeer to the northward, and in- 
duced the Indians to believe that the spring was al- 
ready commencing. Many of them, therefore, quit- 
ted the woods, and set their snares on the barren 
grounds near Fort Enterprise. Two or three days 
of cold weather, however, toward the middle of 
the month, damped their hopes, and they began to 
say that another moon must elapse before the arri- 
val of the wished-for season. In the mean time, 
their premature departure from the woods caused 
them to suffer from want of food, and the whites 
were in some degree involved in their distress. No 
supplies were received from the hunters, the nets 
produced but very few fish, and the pounded meat, 
which it was intended to keep for summer use, was 
nearly expended. 

The Indian families about the house, consisting 
principally of women and children, suffered most. 
Gctpt. Franklin had often requested them to move 
to Akaitcho's lodge, where they were more certain 
of receiving supplies ; but as most of them were 
sick or infirm, they did not like to quit the house, 
where they daily received medicines from Dr Rich- 
ardson, to encounter the fatigue of following the 
movements of a hunting camp. They cleared away 
the snow on the site of the autumn encampments, 
to look for bones, deer's feet, bits of hide, and other 
offal. When the officers beheld them gnawing 
the pieces of hide, and pounding the bones for the 
purpose of extracting some nourishment from them 
by boiling, they regretted their inability to relieve 



POLAR REGIONS. 419 

them, but little thought that they should themselves 
be afterwards driven to the necessity of eagerly 
collecting these same bones a second time from the 
dunghill. 

At this time, to divert the attention of the men 
from their wants, they were encouraged in the 
practice of sliding down the steep bank of the river 
upon sledges. These vehicles descended the snowy 
bank with much velocity, and ran a great distance 
upon the ice. The officers joined in the sport, and 
the numerous overturns they experienced formed 
no small share of the amusement of the party ; but 
on one occasion, when Capt. Franklin had been 
thrown from his seat and almost buried in the snow, 
a fat Indian woman drove her sledge over him, and 
sprained his knee severely. 

On the 21st, the ice in the river was measured 
and found to be five feet thick, and in setting the 
nets in Round Rock Lake, it was there ascertained 
to be six feet and a half thick, the water being six 
fathoms deep. The stomachs of some fish were at 
this time opened by Dr Richardson, and found filled 
with insects, which appear to exist in abundance 
under the ice during the winter. 

On the 22d, a moose-deer was killed at the dis- 
tance of fortyfive miles ; St Germain went for it 
with a dog-sledge, and returned with unusual expe- 
dition on the morning of the third day. This sup- 
ply was soon exhausted, and the party passed the 
27th without eating, with the prospect of fasting a 
day or two longer, when old Keskarrah entered 
with the unexpected intelligence of having killed a 



420 POLAR REGIONS. 

deer. It was divided between the whites and the 
Indians, and during the night a seasonable supply- 
arrived from Akaitcho. Augustus returned with 
the men who brought it, much pleased with the at- 
tention he had received from the Indians during a 
visit to Akaitcho. 

The weather in the beginning of May was fine and 
warm. On the 2d, some patches of sandy ground 
near the house were cleared of snow. On the 7th, 
the sides of the hills began to appear bare ; and on 
the 8th, a large house-fly was seen. This interest- 
ing event spread cheerfulness through the resi- 
dence, and formed a topic of conversation for the 
rest of the day. 

On the 9th, the approach of spring was still more 
agreeably confirmed by the appearance of a mer- 
gansor and two gulls, and some loons, or arctic di- 
vers, at the rapid. This day, to lessen the labor of 
dragging meat to the house, the women and chil- 
dren and all the men, except four, were sent to live 
at the Indian tents. 

The blue-berries, crow-berries, eye-berries, and 
cran-berries, which had been covered, and protected 
by the snow during the winter, might at this time 
be gathered in abundance, and proved indeed a 
valuable resource. The ground continued frozen, 
but the heat of the sun had a visible effect on veg- 
etation ; the sap thawed in the pine-trees, the 
mosses were beginning to shoot, and the ealyptrse 
of some of the jungermanniae were already visible. 

A robin appeared on the 14th. This bird is hailed 
by the natives as the infallible precursor of warm 



POLAR REGIONS. 421 

weather. Ducks and geese were also seen in 
numbers, and the reindeer advanced to the north- 
ward. The merganser, which preys upon small 
fish, was the first of the duck tribe that appeared ; 
next came the teal, which lives upon small insects 
that abound in the waters at this season ; and lastly 
the goose, which feeds upon berries and herbage. 
Geese usually appear at Cumberland House, in 
latitude 54°, about the 12th of April; at Fort Chip- 
pewyan, in latitude 59°, on the 25th of April; at 
Slave Lake, in latitude 61°, on the 1st of May ; and 
at Fort Enterprise, in latitude 64° 28', on the 12th 
or 14th of the same month. 

On the 21st, Akaitcho arrived at Fort Enterprise 
and was saluted by a discharge of small-arms. He 
led the way, preceded by his standard-bearer, and 
advanced with a slow and stately step to the door, 
where Mr Wentzel and Capt. Franklin received 
him. The faces of the party were daubed with 
vermilion, the old men having a spot on the right 
cheek, the young ones on the left. Akaitcho him- 
self Avas not painted. On entering he sat down on 
a chest ; the rest placed themselves in a circle on 
the floor. The pipe was passed once or twice 
round, and in the mean time a bowl of spirits and 
water, and a considerable present of cloth, blankets, 
capots, shirts, &c. was placed on the floor for the 
chiefs acceptance, and distribution amongst his 
people. Akaitcho then commenced his speech, 
but we regret to say, that it was very discouraging, 
and indicated that he had parted with his good hu- 
mor, at least since his March visit. He first in- 
36 



422 POLAR REGIONS. 

quired, whether, in the event of a passage by sea 
being discovered, the party would come to his lands 
in any ship that might be sent. Being answer- 
ed that it was probable, but not quite certain, 
that some one among them might come, he ex- 
pressed a hope that some suitable present would be 
forwarded to himself and nation : ' for,' said he, ' the 
great chief who commands where all the goods 
come from, must see from the drawings and de- 
scriptions of us and our country that we are a mis- 
erable people.' Capt. Franklin assured him that 
he should be remembered, provided he faithfully 
fulfilled his engagement. 

He next complained of the non-payment of the 
Captain's notes by Mr Weeks, the trader at Slave 
Lake, from which he apprehended that his own re- 
ward would be withheld. ' If,' said he, ' your notes 
to such a trifling amount are not accepted while 
you are within such a short distance, and can hold 
communication with the fort, it is not probable that 
the large reward, which has been promised to my- 
self and party, will be paid when you are far distant, 
on your way to your own country. It really ap- 
pears to me,' he continued, ' as if both the Com- 
panies consider your party as a third company, hos- 
tile to their interests, and that neither of them w 
pay the notes you give to the Indians.' 

Afterwards, in the course of a long conference, 
he enumerated many other grounds of dissatisfac- 
tion ; the principal of which were, want of attention 
to him, as chief, the weakness of the rum formerly 
bent to him, the smallness of the present now of- 



POLAR REGIONS. 423 

fered, and the want of the chiefs clothing, which 
he had been accustomed to receive at Fort Provi- 
dence every spring. He concluded by refusing to 
receive the goods now laid before him. 

We will now refer our readers to the next chap- 
ter for the result of these proceedings. 



CHAPTER X. 

Captain Franklin's Reply to Akaitcho. — The Copper Indians. — Keskarrah. — 
Marriages.— Wars.— Numbers.— The Dog- Ribs.— Their Character.— Res- 
idence and Numbers. — The Hare Indians. — The Gluarrellers — Other 
Tribes. — Behaviour of Akaitcho. — The first Tarty leaves Fort Enterprise. 

In reply to the complaints of Akaitcho, Captain 
Franklin said that no dependence should be placed 
on vague reports. He had heard a great many to 
the disadvantage of Akaitcho, but, had given them 
no credit. Moreover, the rum which had been sent 
to him was such as was drank by the great men in 
England, milder in taste, but stronger in reality 
than that which he had been accustomed to receive. 
The party had not been able to bring large quanti- 
ties of goods like the traders ; but in consideration 
of his not receiving the usual spring outfit, his debts 
to the company had been cancelled, and a present 
much larger than he had ever before received was 
to be got ready for him on his return. The Captain 
farther said, that he was much disappointed in not 
receiving the dried meat he had promised, and that, 
in fact, his complaints were so groundless, in com- 



424 POLAR REGIONS. 

parison with the injury resulting to the expedition 
from his breach of promise, that he believed they 
were preferred to cloak his own want of good faith. 

Akaitcho then shifted his ground, advising that 
the enterprise should be abandoned, on the score of 
danger, and at last showed some disposition toward 
a reconciliation. St Germain exerted himself much 
to effect a change in the savages, and in some de- 
gree succeeded. Before we proceed farther in 
our narrative, it may not be amiss to give some ac- 
count of these Copper Indians. 

They are called by the Chippewyans Tantsawhot- 
dinneh, or Birch-rind people. They were original- 
ly, according to their own account, Chippewyans, 
and lived on the south side of Slave Lake. Their 
language, traditions, and customs are essentially 
the same as those of the Chippewyans, but in 
personal character they have greatly the advantage 
of that people, owing probably to local causes, or 
perhaps to their procuring their food more easily 
and in greater abundance. They hold women in 
the same low estimation as the Chippewyans do, 
looking upon them as a kind of property which the 
stronger may take from the weaker whenever there 
is just reason for quarrelling, if the parties are of 
their own nation, or whenever they meet, if the 
weaker party are Dog-Ribs or other strangers. 
They suffer, however, the kinder affections to show 
themselves occasionally : they in general live happy 
with their wives : the women are contented with 
their lot. Our travellers witnessed several instances 
of strong attachment. 



POLAR REGIONS. 425 

Of their religion, or ideas of a future state, we 
have no accounts, as they are averse to speak of 
their opinions, for fear of ridicule. Akaitcho always 
evaded questions on this subject, but evinced a 
strong desire to learn. 

This chief, and many of his tribe, possessed a 
strong curiosity. Capt. Franklin thought that a 
Christian mission might produce a happy effect in 
this quarter. The old guide Keskarrah alone used 
boldly to express his disbelief of the existence of 
a supreme being, and to give his reasons, the prin- 
cipal of which was, that though an old man he had 
never seen God himself. This aged sceptic was a 
little conceited, as appears from the following ex- 
ordium to one of his speeches : — * It is very strange 
that I never meet with any one as wise as myself. 5 

Few of this nation have more than one wife at a 
time, and none but the chiefs have more than two. 
The same man frequently marries sisters ; and cou- 
sins intermarry ; but no union takes place between 
uncle and niece. 

The last war excursion they made against the 
Esquimaux was about eighteen years ago, when 
they destroyed thirty persons at the mouth of what 
they term Stoney Point River, near the mouth of the 
Coppermine. Formerly, when they were destitute 
of fire-arms, they were oppressed by the Chippe- 
wyans ; but since they have received weapons from 
the traders, the Chippewyans do not care to venture 
on their lands, and all of that nation who live about 
Slave Lake hold the name of Akaitcho in great re- 
spect. 

36* * 



426 POLAR REGIONS. 

The number of Copper Indians may be one hun- 
dred and ninety, viz. eighty males, and the rest wo- 
men and young children. At the time of our story 
there were fortyfive hunters in the tribe. The ad- 
herents of Akaitcho are forty men and boys, the 
rest follow other chiefs. 

The Thlingcha-dinneh, or Dog-Ribs, or, as they 
are sometimes termed by the Crees, who former- 
ly warred against them, Slaves, inhabit the country 
to the westward of the Copper Indians, as far as 
the Mackenzie's River. They are of a mild, hos- 
pitable, but rather indolent disposition ; spend much 
of their time in amusements, and are fond of sing- 
ing and dancing. In this respect, and in another, 
they differ very widely from most of the other 
aborigines of North America. We allude to their 
kind treatment of the women. The men do the 
laborious work, while their wives employ themselves 
in ornamenting their dresses with quill-work, and 
in other occupations suited to their sex. Kind 
treatment of the fair sex being usually considered 
as an indication of considerable progress in civiliza- 
tion, it might be worth while to inquire how it hap- 
pens, that this tribe has stept so far beyond its 
neighbours. It has had, undoubtedly, the same 
common origin with the Chippewyans ; for their 
languages differ only in accent, and their mode of 
life is essentially the same. We have not sufficient 
data to prosecute the inquiry with any hope of suc- 
cess ; but we may recall to the reader's memory, 
that the Dog-Ribs say they came from the westward, 
whilst the Chippewyans say that they migrated 
from the eastward. 



POLAR REGIONS. 427 

The chief tribe of the Dog-rib nation, termed 
Horn Mountain Indians, inhabit the country between 
Great Bear Lake and the west end of Great Slave 
Lake. They muster about two hundred men and 
boys capable of pursuing the chase. Small detach- 
ments of the nation frequent Marten Lake, and hunt 
during the summer in the neighbourhood of Fort 
Enterprise. Indeed this part of the country was 
formerly exclusively theirs, and most of the lakes 
and remarkable hills bear the names which they 
imposed upon them. As the Copper Indians gen- 
erally pillage them of their women and furs when 
they meet, they endeavour to avoid them, and visit 
their ancient quarters on the barren grounds only 
by stealth. 

Immediately to the northward of the Dog-Ribs, 
on the north side of Bear Lake River, are the 
Kawcho-dinneh, or Hare Indians, who also speak a 
dialect of the Chippewyan language, have much 
the same manners with the Dog-Ribs, and are 
considered both by them and by the Copper Indians 
to be great conjurers. These people report, that 
in their hunting excursions to the northward of 
Great Bear Lake, they meet small parties of Es- 
quimaux. 

Immediately to the northward of the Hare In- 
dians, on both banks of Mackenzie's River, are the 
Tykothee-dinneh, Loucheux, Squint-Eyes, or Quar- 
relers. They speak a language distinct from the 
Chippewyan. They war often with the Esquimaux 
at the mouth of Mackenzie's River, but have occa- 
sionally some peaceable intercourse with them, and 



428 POLAR REGIONS. 

it would appear that they find no difficulty in un- 
derstanding each other, there being considerable 
similarity in their languages. Their dress also re- 
sembles the Esquimaux, and differs from that of 
the other inhabitants of Mackenzie's River. The 
Tykothee-dinneh trade with Fort Good-Hope, sit- 
uated a considerable distance below the confluence 
of Bear Lake River with the Mackenzie's River, 
and within three days march of the Arctic Sea. It 
is the most northern establishment of the Northwest 
Company, and some small pieces of Russian cop- 
per coin once made their way thither across the 
continent from the westward. Blue or w~hite beads 
are almost the only articles of European manufac- 
ture coveted by the Louche ux. They perforate 
the septum of the nose, and insert in the opening 
three small shells, which they procure at a high 
price from the Esquimaux. 

On the west bank of Mackenzie's River there 
are several tribes who speak dialects of the Chip- 
pewyan language, that have not hitherto been men- 
tioned. The first met with, on tracing the river to 
the southward from Fort Good-Hope, are the Am- 
bawtawhoot-dinneh, or Sheep Indians. They inhab- 
it the Rocky Mountains near the sources of the 
Dawhoot-dinneh River, which flows into Macken- 
zie's, and are but little known to the traders. Some 
of them have visited Fort Good-Hope. A report 
of their being cannibals may have originated in an 
imperfect knowledge of them. 

Some distance to the southward of this people 
are the Rocky Mountain Indians, a small tribe which 



POLAR REGIONS. 429 

musters about forty men and boys capable of pur- 
suing the chase. They differ but little from the 
next we are about to mention, the Edchawtawhoot- 
dinneh, Strong-Bow, Beaver, or Thick-Wood In- 
dians, who frequent the Riviere aux Liards, or 
south branch of Mackenzie's River. The Strong- 
Bows resemble the Dog-Ribs somewhat in their dis- 
position ; but when they meet, they assume a con- 
siderable degree of superiority over the latter, who 
meekly submit to the haughtiness of their neigh- 
bours. Until the year 1813, when a small party of 
them, from some unfortunate provocation, destroyed 
Fort Nelson, on the Riviere aux Liards, and mur- 
dered its inmates, the Strong-Bows were considered 
to be a friendly and quiet tribe, and esteemed as 
excellent hunters. They take their names, in the 
first instance, from their dogs. A young man is 
the father of a certain dog ; but when he is married 
and has a son, he styles himself the father of the 
boy. The women have a habit of reproving the 
dogs very tenderly, when they observe them fight- 
ing. — ' Are you not ashamed,' say they, s are you 
not ashamed to quarrel with your little brother?' 
The dogs appear to understand the reproof, and 
sneak off. 

The number of men and boys of the Strong-Bow 
nation who are capable of hunting may amount to 
seventy. 

There are some other tribes who also speak dia- 
lects of the Chippewyan, upon the upper branches of 
the Riviere aux Liards, such as the Jfohhannies 
and the Tsillawdawhoot-dinneh, or Brush-wood In- 



430 POLAR REGIONS. 

dians. They are but little known, but the latter 
are supposed occasionally to visit some of the es- 
tablishments on Peace River. 

Having now briefly communicated the principal 
facts relative to the Indians in this quarter, we re- 
turn to the proceedings of Captain Franklin and his 
party. 

Akaitcho was still unwilling to proceed, and com- 
plained that the immediate supply of goods was in- 
adequate to fulfil his expectations, and after much 
importunity declared that he would not except what 
was offered. His people, however, declared their 
willingness to go on, and he was compelled to sub- 
mit. 

The first party started from Fort Enterprise on 
the 4th of June, under Doctor Richardson. It con- 
sisted of fifteen voyageurs, four Indians, and some 
squaws. They had with them three dog sledges, 
and each of the men carried a burthen of eighty 
pounds, exclusive of personal baggage. Akaitcho 
and his people departed on the same day, with in- 
structions to proceed to Point Lake, and collect 
provisions. 



POLAR REGIONS. 431 



CHAPTER XI. 

Captain Franklin leaves Fort Enterprise. — Sufferings of the Men. — The 
Coppermine. — Musk Oxen killed. — The Hook. — Portage to Great 
Bear Lake. — Rapids. — The Copper Mountains.— The Interpreters con- 
verse with the Esquimaux.— Flight of the Esquimaux. — The Esqui- 
maux seen again. — An old Savage. 

On the 13th, the men returned to Fort Enterprise, 
having left Dr Richardson at Point Lake, where 
the ice had not yet begun to decay. On the morn- 
ing of the 14th, Capt. Franklin started with the ca- 
noes and the remainder of the stores. Being 
heavily laden, they only made five miles this day. 

Marten Lake, through which the route lay is ex- 
tensive, with large arms, which branch out in differ- 
ent directions. After passing this, the party came, 
on the 20th, to the ridge which separates the streams 
which flow into Winter Lake from those which 
run northward. Near the base of this ridge they 
crossed a small, rapid stream, in which there is a 
cascade fifty feet high. The next day they reached 
Point Lake, where the ice was still six or seven 
feet thick. Here they remained till the 25th, to 
procure provisions for the journey. 

They then started, dragging the canoes and bag- 
gage over the ice, but, owing to the depth of the 
snow, made but small progress. The next day was 
extremely hot, and the men were soon jaded ; in- 
deed most of them were already lame. Their suf- 
ferings at this early stage of the journey induced 
Captain Franklin to leave one of the canoes be- 



432 POLAR REGIONS. 

hind. Even with this relief their task was not 
easy. The surface of the ice, being honey-combed 
by recent rains, presented innumerable sharp points, 
which tore their mocasins, and lacerated their feet ; 
and the poor dogs marked their tracks with their 
blood. 

In the evening of the 28th, the party reached a 
rapid by which Point Lake communicates with Red 
Rock Lake, and were surprised at finding the 
Coppermine an inconsiderable stream. The next 
day they passed Red Rock Lake, and entered ano- 
ther called Rock Nest Lake, from a remarkable 
Rock on its shore. They crossed it on the ice, 
and on the 1st of July embarked on the Copper- 
mine River, which is here two hundred yards wide 
and ten feet deep, and flows rapidly over a rocky 
bottom. The scenery of its banks is fine ; they are 
well clad with wood, and the surfaces of the rocks 
are richly ornamented with lichens. The same 
kind of country prevails in the same parallel as far 
west as Mackenzie's River ; but the land eastward is 
entirely barren. 

They proceeded down the river, sometimes 
through strong rapids, shooting over great stones, 
where a single false stroke of a paddle would have 
been destructive. In some places the channel was 
blocked up by drift ice, and they were obliged to 
cut a passage for the canoes, or drag them over. 
As they proceeded, the river became wider, always 
runnino; between hills of moderate elevation. On 
the 4th, the hunters killed eight musk oxen. Capt. 
Franklin himself wounded one of these animals, 



POLAR REGIONS. 433 

which instantly attacked him, but was frightened 
away by the arrival of some of the people. 

On the evening of the sixth, the party encamped 
at the base of a range of mountains from twelve to 
fifteen hundred feet high. Near this place the chief 
called the Hook was encamped, who, without so- 
licitation, gave up to Captain Franklin all the meat 
he had collected, expressing his regret that he had 
no more to bestow. In return for these provisions 
he accepted an order on the Northwest Company, 
to be paid at Fort Providence. 

On the same day, after passing the mountain 
range, the party arrived at the portage leading to 
Great Bear Lake, at the westernmost point on the 
Coppermine, where the river resumes a northern 
course and forces a passage through the moun- 
tains. From hence to Bear Lake the distance is 
about forty miles. 

Beyond this spot the river diminishes in breadth, 
and a succession of rapids is formed. It still 
runs between high ranges of mountains, though its 
actual boundaries are banks of mud mixed with 
clay, which are clothed with dwarf pines. 

The day after leaving the portage, the party came 
to a place where the river is contracted between 
lofty banks to the width of an hundred and twenty 
yards. Just beyond this, it descends three quarters 
of a mile through a deep narrow and crooked chan- 
nel, cut through the foot of a hill five or six hun- 
dred feet high. It is confined between perpendic- 
ular cliffs like walls, and rushing furiously through 
the chasm, discharges itself at the northern extrem- 
3? 



434 POLAR REGIONS. 

ity in a sheet of foam. After being lightened, the 
canoes ran through this defile without injury. 

On the 11th, the party reached the Copper 
Mountains, from which the river derives its name. 
Pieces of native copper are found in all parts of 
this range, of which the aborigines were accus- 
tomed to make knives, hatchets, and other utensils, 
before the traders came among them. The origin- 
al repository of the metal has never been discov- 
ered. 

As they were now coming to the Esquimaux 
country, the guides recommended caution in light- 
ing fires, and that none should show themselves on 
the tops of hills. Throughout the 12th, they found 
the current very rapid, the stream being contracted 
between perpendicular walls of rock, to which 
large masses of ice still adhered, though the earth 
around was rich with vegetation. At night they 
encamped within twelve miles of a rapid, where the 
Indians said the Esquimaux were invariably found ; 
and to confirm the statement, traces of these peo- 
ple were seen near the spot. That there might 
be as little delay as possible in opening a commu- 
nication with the Esquimaux, Augustus and Ju- 
nius were sent forward, clad in their national cos- 
tume, and furnished with presents wherewith to 
conciliate their countrymen. 

The Indians in the mean while were not suffered 
to move out of sight, lest they should be seen, and 
cause an alarm. The next day passed, and the in- 
terpreters had not returned, and Capt. Franklin 
determined to go on, but he found much difficulty 



POLAR REGIONS. 435 

in persuading Akaitcho and his people to stay be- 
hind. They yielded, however, on condition that 
Mr Wentzel would remain with them. 

The river here flows between cliffs of loose sand 
mixed with gravel and red sand-stone rocks, and 
is everywhere shallow and rapid. Most of the of- 
ficers and half of the men marched ahead, to lighten 
the canoes, and to reconnoitre. In the evening they 
met Junius, who informed them that he had seen 
four Esquimaux tents, and that he had had some 
conversation with their inmates across the river. 
The news of the arrival of the party had frightened 
the Esquimaux, and they would not come across. 
As he and Augustus had expended all their provi- 
sion, he had come back for more, leaving his 
comrade to effect a more perfect communication. 

After resting, Junius set off again, and on the af- 
ternoon of the next day the Indians joined the par- 
ty, Mr Wentzel having been unable to keep them 
back. By threats and promises they were at last 
persuaded to keep out of sight till the Esquimaux 
should be prepared to receive them. 

The next day, the party proceeded, and passed 
the rapid below which the Esquimaux w-ere en- 
camped, in which the canoes narrowly escaped be- 
ing wrecked. Here large, irregular sand-hills inclose 
both banks. The country around them consists 
of high, round hills. 

Just as Augustus was conversing with one of the 
Esquimaux, who had paddled half way across the 
river for the purpose, some of the men on shore 
showed themselves on the hill tops. This unfortu- 



436 POLAR REGIONS. 

nate circumstance revived the fears of the Esqui- 
maux, and they instantly fled, leaving their dogs 
and other property'. In this party there were four 
men, and as many women. Augustus and Junius 
were sent to look for them, but their search was 
fruitless. They put a few pieces of iron and trin- 
kets in their canoes, which were lying on the 
beach. Some men were also sent to secure the 
stages of fish, and protect them as much as pos- 
sible from the attacks of the dogs. Under the cov- 
ering of their tents were observed some stone ket- 
tles and hatchets, a few fish-spears made of copper, 
two small bits of iron, a quantity of skins, and some 
dried salmon, which was covered with maggots, 
and half putrid. The entrails of the fish were 
spread out to dry. A great many skins of small 
birds were hung up to a stage, and even two mice 
were preserved in the same way. Thus it would 
appear that the necessities of these poor people in- 
duce them to preserve every article that can be 
possibly used as food. Several human skulls which 
bore the marks of violence, and many bones, were 
strewed about the ground near the encampment, 
and as the spot exactly answers the description 
given by Mr Hearne, of the place where the Chip- 
pewyans who accompanied him perpetrated the 
dreadful massacre on the Esquimaux, there is no 
doubt of this being the place. Its situation is in 
latitude 67° 42', and longitude 115° 49'. The rapid 
is a shelving cascade, three hundred yards in length, 
with a descent of fifteen feet. From a hill close 
by there is a distinct view of the polar sea, which 



POLAR REGIONS. 437 

is here full of islands, and at this time was choked 
with ice. 

The officers were preparing to go down to the 
sea in one of the canoes, when Adam the interpret- 
er returned with the news that the Esquimaux 
were pursuing a party who had been sent to col- 
lect wood. Going to their rescue, they were met 
returning at a slow pace. They had come una- 
wares upon the Esquimaux party, which consisted of 
six men, with their women and children, who were 
travelling toward the rapid with a considerable 
number of dogs carrying their baggage. The wo- 
men hid themselves on the first alarm, but the men 
advanced, and stopping at some distance from the 
whites, began to dance in a circle, tossing up their 
hands in the air, and accompanying their motions 
with much shouting, to signify their desire of peace. 
The men saluted them by pulling off their hats, and 
making bows, but neither party was willing to ap- 
proach the other ; and at length the Esquimaux re- 
tired to the hill, from whence they had descended 
when first seen. The whites proceeded, in the hope 
of gaining an interview with them ; but lest their 
appearance in a body should alarm them, advanced 
in a long line, at the head of which was Augustus. 
They were led to the baggage, which they had de- 
serted, by the howling of the dogs ; and on the 
summit of the hill found an old man, who was too 
infirm to effect his escape with the rest. He was 
much terrified when Augustus advanced, and pro- 
bably expected immediate death ; but that the fatal 
blow might not be unrevenged, he seized his spear, 
37* 



438 POLAR REGIONS. 

and made a thrust with it at his supposed enemy. 
Augustus, however, easily repressed the feeble ef- 
fort, and soon calmed his fears by presenting him 
with some pieces of iron, and assuring him of his 
friendly intentions. Dr Richardson and Captain 
Franklin then joined them, and after receiving their 
presents, the old man was quite composed, and be- 
came communicative. His dialect differed from 
that used by Augustus, but they understood each 
other tolerably well. 



CHAPTER XIL 

Terregannuck and his People. — More Esquimaux. — The Copper Indians 
turn back.— The Party proceed along the Coast, and finally turn back. 
— Hood's River.— Journey across the Barren Grounds. — Sufferings of 
the Party. — Tripe de Roche. — The River Anatessy. 

It appeared that the party to which the old Esqui- 
mau belonged consisted of eight men and their 
families, who were returning from a hunting excur- 
sion with dried meat. The old gentleman said his 
name was Terregannuck, or the White Fox, and 
that his tribe called themselves Nag-ge-ook-tor-me- 
oot, or Deer Horn Esquimaux. They frequent 
the mouth of the Coppermine for the purpose of 
salting salmon, and then retire to the westward, 
where they pass the winter in snow houses. In 
reply to inquiries made by the travellers, he said 
that the reindeer abound on the coast in summer, 
and that musk oxen were to be found at a little 



POLAR REGIONS. 439 

distance up the rivers. He said there was plen- 
ty of drift-wood along the shore, but he had no 
knowledge of the coast eastward. 

When he had answered all questions, Terregan- 
nuck proposed going to his baggage, and it was then 
first seen that he could not walk without sticks. 
On reaching his store, he distributed pieces of dried 
meat to his new acquaintances, who ate them, 
though much tainted, in token of peaceable inten- 
tions. Capt. Franklin then told him that he was 
accompanied by several Copper Indians, who were 
desirous to make peace w T ith his people, and he 
replied that he would be rejoiced to see the hos- 
tility between the tribes terminated, and would 
gladly welcome the Indians. 

The countenance of Terregannuck was oval, 
with a sufficiently prominent nose, and had nothing 
very different from an European face, except in 
the smallness of his eyes, and, perhaps, in the nar- 
rowness of his forehead. His complexion was 
very fresh and red, and he had a longer beard than 
Capt. Franklin had seen on any of the aboriginal 
inhabitants of America. It was between two and 
three inches long, and perfectly white. His face 
was not tattooed. His dress consisted of a shirt or 
jacket with a hood, wide breeches, reaching only 
to the knee, and tight leggins sewed to the shoes, 
all of deerskin. The soles of the shoes were 
made of sealskin, and stuffed with feathers instead 
of socks. He was bent with age, but appeared to 
be about five feet ten inches high. His hands and 
feet were small in proportion to his height. When- 



440 POLAR REGIONS. 

ever Terregannuck received a present, he placed 
each article first on his right shoulder, then on his 
left ; and when he wished to express still higher 
satisfaction, he rubbed it over his head. He held 
hatchets, and other iron instruments, in the highest 
esteem. On seeing his countenance in a glass for 
the first time, he exclaimed, ' I shall never kill deer 
more,' and immediately put the mirror down. The 
tribe to which he belongs repair to the sea in 
spring, and kill seals : as the season advances 
they hunt deer and musk oxen at some distance 
from the coast. In all essentials they are like the 
Esquimaux described in other parts of this volume, 
excepting stature. They are much larger than 
those seen by Capt. Parry, and five feet ten inches 
is not an uncommon height among them. 

Akaitcho and his followers, on their way to rejoin 
Capt. Franklin, saw the Esquimaux, and endea- 
voured to open a communication with them, but 
without success. 

In the afternoon of the 17th, a party of nine Es- 
quimaux appeared, carrying their canoes and bag- 
gage ; but when they perceived the tents, they 
turned and fled. The appearance of so many dif- 
ferent bands terrified the Copper Indians so much 
that they resolved to return to their own hunting- 
grounds, and Capt. Franklin had difficulty even to 
persuade them to wait for Mr Wentzel at the Cop- 
per Mountains. St Germain and Adam, the two 
interpreters, also desired to be discharged ; but as 
they were the only two good hunters in the party, 
the Captain would by no means consent. 



POLAR REGIONS. 441 

At the departure of the Indians, Capt. Frank- 
lin reminded them of the necessity of making a 
deposit of provisions at Fort Enterprise, and they 
promised to attend to it. It was afterwards found 
that their fears did not even permit them to wait 
for Mr Wentzel, as they had engaged to do. 

Captain Franklin and his party then descended 
to the sea, and began their journey eastward along 
the coast, having travelled three hundred and thir- 
tyfour miles this season, the distance from Fort 
Enterprise to the mouth of the Coppermine. The 
latter point is in latitude 67° 47' 50", and longitude 
115° 3(5' 49". 

It would be tedious to follow our friends along 
the shore of the Hyperborean Sea. At almost every 
point where they landed, they found traces of the 
Esquimaux, and deposits which they had left be- 
hind them. They saw many islands, bays, and 
capes, of which all that can be said is, that their 
positions are determined, and they are laid down 
on the map. They found drift-wood on the 
shore in abundance, and it may be remarked here 
that the Coppermine brings none down; neither 
does any other stream excepting Mackenzie's Riv^ 
er, from which the existence of an easterly current 
may be inferred. In some places the coast pre- 
sented a beach of gravel, skirted by green plains, 
but as they proceeded eastward it became rocky 
and sterile. Sometimes the expedition was de^ 
tained by drift ice and bad weather and at last, on 
the 19th of August, the stock of provisions being 
expended, and all hope of meeting the Esquimaux 



442 POLAR REGIONS. 

being at an end, Capt. Franklin resolved to return. 
Point Turnagain, the farthest point eastward to 
which the party penetrated, is six degrees and a 
half east of the mouth of the Coppermine, or, by 
following the windings of the coast, a distance of 
five hundred and fiftyfive geographic miles. 

Ts r ow commences the relation of the most affect- 
ing and tragical events recorded in the annals of 
travels. The original plan of Capt. Franklin had 
been to return by the mouth of the Coppermine 
River ; but the length of the journey and the want 
of provisions induced him to change his determina- 
tion, and he resolved to proceed up Hood's River, 
a little west of Point Turnagain, as far as it might 
be found navigable, and then strike across the bar- 
ren grounds to Fort Enterprise. 

On the 22d of August, the party turned back, 
and in three days reached Hood's River, which they 
ascended to the first rapid, and encamped. Here 
ended their journey on the Arctic Sea. The next 
morning they proceeded up the river, which is full 
of shoals and from one hundred to an hundred and 
twenty yards wide. The distance made this day 
was only six miles, and on the next, after dragging 
the canoes up shoals and contending with rapids, 
the journey in a direct line was only seven miles. 
They then came to two beautiful falls, above which 
the river appeared so shallow, that it was deemed 
useless to proceed farther in canoes. The Captain 
therefore determined to construct two small canoes 
out of the materials of the larger ones, and the ope- 
ration was finished by the last day of the month. 



POLAR REGIONS. 443 

The leather which had been preserved for making 
moccasins was now divided among the men, and 
such articles of warm clothing as were most neces- 
sary were issued to each. This done, Capt. Frank- 
lin informed them of his determination to proceed di- 
rectly to Point Lake, thence distant an hundred and 
fifty miles in a straight line. The luggage consisted 
of nets, hatchets, astronomical instruments, clothing, 
blankets, three kettles, and the two canoes, which 
were each carried by one man. The burthen of 
each might amount to ninety pounds ; and thus la- 
den they set forward in the afternoon of the 31st, 
at the rate of about a mile an hour, including rests. 
In the evening, the hunters killed a musk cow, but 
the men were too heavily laden to carry more than 
a small portion of the flesh. They encamped, and 
about midnight their tent was blown down, and they 
were all completely drenched. 

On the morning of the 1st of September, there 
was a fall of snow, and the canoes became a cause 
of delay, from the difficulty of carrying them in a 
high wind, and they sustained much injury from the 
falls of those who had the charge of them. The 
face of the country was broken by small hills, and 
the ground was plentifully strewed with small stones, 
very painful to men carrying heavy burthens. This 
day a deer and a musk ox were killed ; and at night 
they kindled a fire of moss, to cook a part of the 
flesh, as there was no wood at hand. 

On the 3d, emerging from the valley of Hood's 
River, they entered a level but very barren country, 
varied only by ponds and marshes, and covered 



444 POLAR REGIONS. 

with small stones. This day they made ten miles 
and three quarters. On the 4th, the men, being 
weakened by hunger, began to find their burthens 
very oppressive, but did not complain. A heavy 
rain which changed to snow detained them during 
the 5th, and they remained in their beds all day ; but 
their blankets were insufficient to secure them from 
the severity of the frost. The next day there was 
no abatement of the storm; the tents were com- 
pletely frozen, and the snow had drifted round them 
three feet deep, and even inside there was a covering 
of several inches on their blankets. Hunger was, 
however, their greatest suffering. 

On the 7th, the weather cleared, but was very 
cold, and the wind was strong. The party pro- 
ceeded, though weak from fasting, and though their 
garments, bed-clothes, &x. were stiff with frost. 
The ground was covered a foot deep with snow, 
the margins of the lakes were incrusted with ice, 
and the swamps over which they had to pass were 
not entirely frozen, so that they frequently plunged 
knee deep in water. Those who carried the canoes 
were frequently blown down, and by this means the 
largest was so broken as to be wholly ruined. As 
the accident could not be repaired, they turned it to 
the best account, by making a fire of the broken 
materials, and cooked a little portable soup and ar- 
row-root, the only provision left. This was a scanty 
repast after three days fasting, but it enabled them 
to proceed at a quicker pace than before. In the 
afternoon, they came to a more hilly country, abound- 
ing in large stones, which were covered with lichens 



POLAR REGIONS. 445 

of the genus gyrophora, called by the Canadians tripe 
de roche. A considerable quantity was gathered, 
which, with half a partridge each, furnished a slender 
supper ; after which our friends passed a comfort- 
less night in their damp clothes. 

The next morning they came to a stream flow- 
ing westward with a rapid current, which they had 
much difficulty in crossing, as their canoe wanted 
gumming, which they were unable to perform for 
want of wood. However, they crossed the stream 
by means of a range of rocks, though several slip- 
ped into the current, and were drenched complete- 
ly ; indeed they would have perished, but for the 
aid of the others. The march was continued till a 
late hour, in the hope of overtaking the hunters, who 
had gone before ; and their supper, and only meal 
for that day, consisted of a partridge each, and 
some tripe de roche. 

In the morning of the 9th, they overtook the 
hunters, who were resting on the borders of a lake 
which stretched to the westward as far as they 
could see, and discharged its waters by a rapid 
stream an hundred and fifty yards wide. Being 
entirely ignorant where they might be led by fol- 
lowing the shore of the lake, they resolved to cross 
the river, if possible, and some willows which grew 
at hand enabled them to gum their canoe. In the 
afternoon, St Germain and Adam ferried the party 
over, one at a time, causing each to lie flat in its 
bottom, — by no means a pleasant posture, on ac- 
count of its leakiness. This done, the party walk- 
ed two miles farther, encamped, and supped on 
38 



446 POLAR REGIONS. 

two hares only, as there was no tripe de roche 
at this place. From the top of a hill, Capt. Frank- 
lin still saw the lake stretching westward, and sub- 
sequently learned that the river was the Anatessy. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

A Musk-Ox killed. — The Party come to a Lake and cross a River.— Dan- 
ger of Belanger.— They reach Point Lake. — The Canoe left. — They 
arrive at the Coppermine. — Adventure of Dr Richardson.— Efforts to 
cross. — Fate of Credit and Vaillant.— Dr Richardson stops.— Dreadful 
Sufferings of the Party. 

The day after crossing the Anatessy, our friends 
were so fortunate as to kill a musk-ox. So great 
was their hunger that they did not wait to cook the 
flesh, but devoured the intestines raw on the spot, 
which were pronounced excellent by the most del- 
icate among them. This was the first sufficient 
meal they had eaten for six days. 

Here they were detained a whole day by a vio- 
lent gale. They started again on the 12th, and in 
the morning of the 13th, had the mortification to 
find themselves on the borders of a large lake, 
which, as they could not cross, they coasted to the 
westward. The flesh of the musk-ox was now 
exhausted, and to add to their distress the tripe 
de roche had become extremely nauseous to the 
whole party, and had produced severe bowel com- 
plaints. This evening the officers were grieved to 
find that their improvident followers had thrown 



POLAR REGIONS. 447 

away the fishing-nets, their only resource in case 
they should kill no animals, to lighten their loads. 

In the morning of the 14th, they came to a river 
which discharged the waters of the lake, and here 
one of the hunters killed two deer, on which the 
party once more made a good meal. After this, 
they proceeded to cross the river just above a 
rapid. St Germain, Belanger, and Captain Franklin 
embarked first, but overset the canoe in the middle 
of the rapid. Fortunately, they kept hold of it till 
they got footing on a rock, where the water was no 
higher than their waists, where they emptied the 
canoe. Belanger then held it steady while the Cap- 
tain and St Germain embarked, but he could not 
get in himself, as the canoe would have been hur- 
ried down the rapid the moment he lifted his foot 
from the rock. Scarcely had the conveyance left 
him, when it struck another rock, and went down ; 
but as the place was shallow, the Captain and St 
Germain again emptied it and reached the shore. 
In the mean while, Belanger was suffering extreme- 
ly, immersed in water almost freezing, and the up- 
per part of his body covered with wet clothes, in a 
temperature little above zero, aggravated by a strong 
breeze. Several attempts were made to reach 
him with the canoe, but they all proved ineffectual. 
At last, when almost exhausted, the canoe reached 
him with the end of a cord, and he was dragged, 
entirely senseless, through the rapid. 

The rest of the party were carried over on the 
15th, and they proceeded along the lake, which was 
ascertained to be the Contwayto, or Rum Lake. 



448 POLAR REGIONS. 

Taking leave of this, they continued onward, sick 
and starving, till the twentysecond, when they 
reached a branch of Point Lake. Our readers will 
perhaps be desirous to know how they passed their 
nights without fire, in such weather. The first ope- 
ration after encamping w r as to thaw r their frozen 
mocasins, if a sufficient fire could be made ; and dry 
ones were put on. They then laid down and con- 
versed till their blankets were thawed by the heat 
of their bodies, and they had gathered sufficient 
warmth to sleep. On many nights they had not 
the good fortune to sleep in dry clothes ; for when 
they could not make fire to dry them, they durst not 
put them off, lest they should freeze so hard as to 
be unfit to wear in the morning, and therefore in- 
convenient to carry. 

Following the shores of Point Lake on the 23d, 
Peltier and Vaillant, who had charge of the canoe, 
were left behind. When they came up they said 
that the canoe had been so damaged by another 
fall as to be incapable of repair, and utterly useless. 
No persuasion could induce them, or any of the 
voyageurs, to go back for it, and the officers were 
too weak to undertake the task. To this obstinacy 
may be attributed the misfortunes which attended 
their subsequent progress. This night, a heavy 
rain fell, which obliterated the tracks of the hunters 
who had gone forward, and the men became quite 
furious at the idea of being abandoned by them. 
Some of the strongest threw down their bundles 
to follow, and would have left the weaker to shift 
for themselves, had they not been prevented by the 



POLAR REGIONS. 449 

threats and entreaties of the officers. However, in 
the course of the day they came up with the hunt- 
ers, who had killed five small deer, of which the 
Canadians with their usual improvidence consumed 
more than a third that evening. 

On the 26th, they came to the Coppermine, five 
miles above where it enters Point Lake. Its cur- 
rent here is swift, and there are two rapids, which 
in a canoe they could have traversed in safety and 
with ease. As they could find no food, and as 
there was no wood at hand big enough for a raft, 
they were obliged to repair to the Lake in search 
of trees. After travelling two days along the shore, 
the search was abandoned as useless, and they 
returned to the rapid to attempt to cross on a raft of 
willows. While they were considering this project, 
the carcass of a deer was found in a crevice of a 
rock, into which it had fallen in the spring. It was 
putrid, but little less acceptable on that account, 
and the greater part was devoured forthwith. 

In the morning of the 29th, the men began at 
an early hour to bind the willows in faggots for the 
construction of the raft, and it was finished by sev- 
en ; but as the willows were green, it proved to be 
very little buoyant, and was unable to support more 
than one man at a time. Even on this, however, it 
was hoped the whole party might be transported, 
by hauling it from one side to the other ; provided a 
line could be carried to the other bank. Several 
attempts were made by Belanger and Benoit, the 
strongest men of the party, to convey the raft across 
the stream, but they failed for want of oars. A 
38* 



450 POLAR REGIONS. 

pole constructed by tying the tent-poles together, 
was too short to reach the bottom at a short dis- 
tance from the shore ; and a paddle did not pos- 
sess sufficient power to move the raft in opposition 
to a strong breeze, which blew from the other side. 
All the men suffered extremely from the coldness 
of the water, in which they w r ere necessarily im- 
mersed up to their waists, in their endeavours to aid 
Belanger and Benoit ; and, having witnessed re- 
peated failures, they began to consider the scheme 
as hopeless. At this time, Dr Richardson, prompted 
by a desire of relieving his suffering companions, 
proposed to swim across the stream with a line, 
and to haul the raft over. He threw himself into the 
river with the line round his middle, but when he 
had got a short distance from the bank, his arms 
became benumbed with cold, and he lost the pow- 
er of moving them : still he persevered, and, turn- 
ing on his back, had nearly gained the opposite 
bank, when his legs also became powerless and he 
sunk. They instantly hauled upon the line, and he 
came again to the surface, and was gradually drawn 
ashore in an almost lifeless state. Being rolled up 
in blankets, he was placed before a good fire of 
willows, and fortunately was just able to give 
some slight directions respecting the manner 
of treating him. He gained strength gradual- 
ly, and through the blessing of God was en- 
abled in the course of a few hours to converse, and 
by the evening was sufficiently recovered to re- 
move into the tent. The skin of his whole left side 
was deprived of feeling, in consequence of expo- 



POLAR REGIONS. 451 

sure to too great heat. He did not perfectly re- 
cover the sensation of that side until the follow- 
ing summer. When he stripped, the Canadians 
simultaneously exclaimed, ( Ah ! que nous sommes 
maigres!' 

The next morning the men collected eight large 
faggots of willows, of which they constructed a 
larger and better raft than the first. Yet, as it did 
not answer their purpose, St Germain set about ma- 
king a canoe of the fragments of painted canvass in 
which they had wrapped their bedding on the first of 
October. In the afternoon, one of the men found 
the back-bone of a deer which had been killed and 
eaten by wolves, but the spinal marrow still re- 
mained. This, though putrid, was esteemed a val- 
uable prize, and the bones were rendered friable 
by burning, and eaten also. 

On the following morning, the ground was cov- 
ered with snow a foot and a half deep, and the 
weather was stormy. These circumstances ren- 
dered the men despondent, and they refused to 
gather tripe de roche, preferring to go entirely 
without eating to making the least exertion. The 
storm continued till the afternoon of the 3d, by 
which time St Germain had finished his canoe. 
By this time the officers were extremely reduced ; 
Mr Hood was little better than a skeleton, Mr 
Back could not walk without a stick, and Dr Rich- 
ardson was lame, as well as weak. 

On the morning of the 4th of November, St Germain 
embarked in his canoe, and succeeded in reaching 
the opposite side of the river with a line. The canoe 



452 POLAR REGIONS. 

was then drawn back, and another person was 
transported, and so on till the whole party were 
conveyed over, except the Esquimaux Junius, who 
had been lost several days, and it was never known 
what became of him. By the frequent traverses 
the canoe was materially injured, so that all the 
garments and bedding were soaked, and there was 
not a sufficiency of willows to dry them. That no 
time might be lost, Mr Back was instantly des- 
patched in search of the Indians, with St Germain, 
Solomon Belanger, and Beauparlant. 

More snow fell in the night, but the Captain and 
his party were early on foot the next morning ; yet 
the tents and bedding were so frozen that it was 
late before they could get their bundles in readi- 
ness for departure. They then followed the tracks 
of Mr Back and his men, and walked six miles only, 
their weakness allowing them to go no farther. Two 
of the men, Credit and Vaillant, who had been una- 
ble to digest the tripe de roche, were so exhausted, 
that on reaching the encampment they were unable 
to stand. 

Before starting the next morning, the whole party 
ate the remains of their old shoes, and whatever 
fragments of leather' they had, to enable them to 
face a piercing gale. Some of the party lagged in 
the rear, and toward noon Samandre came up 
with the front to say that Credit and Vaillant had 
dropped down ; and Doctor Richardson went back 
to them, but did not find Credit. Vaillant was un- 
able to rise or speak ; and as the Doctor was unable 
to aid him, he returned to the party, who in the mean 



POLAR REGIONS. 453 

while had made a fire. J. B. Belanger then went to 
assist Vaillant, but could not rouse him : and the 
strongest of the voyageurs declared themselves 
unable to bring him to the fire. They urged Capt. 
Franklin to allow them to throw down their loads 
and hasten to Fort Enterprise, a measure which 
w T ould have destroved them, for not one of them 
knew the way, and the officers would have been un- 
able to keep up with them. However, as it was abso- 
lutely necessary to do something to lighten them, Dr 
Richardson and Mr Hood, with John Hepburn, pro- 
posed to remain behind at the first convenient place, 
while the rest proceeded to the house, whence they 
thought immediate relief might be sent. This 
measure was immediately carried into effect ; but 
Credit and Vaillant were, unavoidably, left to their 
fate. 

The next day, the Captain and those who pro- 
ceeded with him made but four miles ; and on 
encamping, Belanger and Michel declared them- 
selves quite exhausted, and desired to be permitted 
to return to Dr Richardson and Mr Hood. The 
night was bitter cold, and, though they laid as close 
as possible, they could not keep themselves warm 
enough to sleep. Toward midnight a strong gale 
increased their sufferings. In the morning, Michel 
and Belanger received permission to go back to 
Doctor Richardson. The former was very particu- 
lar in his inquiries respecting the route the Captain 
meant to pursue. 

Scarcely was this arrangement made, when two 
more, Perrault and Fontano, were seized with diz- 



454 POLAR REGIONS. 

ziness and other symptoms of extreme debility. 
They were in some degree revived by drinking 
a little tea, and eating a few morsels of burnt lea- 
ther, and expressed a willingness to go forward. 
The others, however, alarmed at what they had 
witnessed, and doubtful of their own strength, re- 
fused to move. But on the representation of the 
Captain, that it was their only chance for life, they 
at last proceeded, leaving Michel and Belanger at 
the encampment. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Perrault turns back. — Fontano is lost. — Captain Franklin reaches Fort 
Enterprise. — Misery of the Party. — Dr Richardson and Hepburn reach 
Fort Enterprise. — The Crimes of Michel.— Murder of Mr Hood.— Mi- 
chel is put to Death. — Subsequent Progress of Dr Richardson and 
Hepburn. 

Scarcely had the party gone two hundred yards, 
when Perrault became dizzy again, and in ten 
minutes more declared himself unable to go any 
farther. As the encampment was not more than a 
quarter of a mile off, he turned to regain it, walking 
with much difficulty. The route then lay across 
a lake where the ice was perfectly smooth, and 
the men fell continually. Fontano was complete- 
ly exhausted by the fatigue of the traverse, and 
he turned to go, first to the encampment, and then 
to Dr Richardson, as Perrault had done, by which 
the number of the party was reduced to five, viz. 



POLAR REGIONS. 455 

Adam, Benoit, Peltier, Samandre, and Captain 
Franklin. Augustus had gone ahead. After they 
had made four miles and a half, they encamped 
near some willows, and supped on a few morsels of 
burnt leather. Augustus did not make his appear- 
ance, but this gave the Captain no uneasiness, as 
he supposed that if he missed the track, he would 
go to Dr Richardson. 

The next day they gained five miles, and en- 
camped on Winter River, and the arrival in a well- 
known neighbourhood raised the spirits of the men. 
The night was very stormy, and so was the morn- 
ing; but they set out, being eager to reach Fort 
Enterprise that day. They saw a large herd of 
reindeer, but Adam, the only hunter, was too weak 
to pursue them. They did not reach the house 
that night, and when they did, the next morning, it 
was only to meet with grievous disappointment. 

The house was desolate, — there were no traces 
of the Indians, — and they had made no deposit of 
provisions, as they had promised. The party could 
not refrain from tears ; for not to speak of their own 
misery, the lives of their friends in the rear de- 
pended on sending immediate relief from this place. 

There was a note, however, from Mr Back, who 
had left the house two days before. By it the 
Captain learned that he had gone in search of the 
Indians, and that he proposed, if he did not find 
them, to try to reach Fort Providence. Here, 
then, the party were obliged to remain and wait 
for whatever might befall, for they were all too fee- 
ble to travel any farther. The deerskins they had 



456 POLAR REGIONS. 

formerly thrown away, served them for food ; and 
they collected bones from the ashes, which, with 
tripe de roche, they must eat to preserve life. In 
the evening Augustus rejoined them. 

The next morning they were all much enfeebled, 
and Adam was unable to rise without assistance ; 
yet they were compelled to collect bones and tripe 
de roche. In the afternoon of the 14th, there was 
a storm, during which Belanger entered the house, 
so much exhausted that he could not speak, with a 
note from Mr Back, stating that he had not found 
the Indians, and desiring farther instructions. 

On the 18th, Belanger set out to return to Mr 
Back, with instructions to meet Captain Franklin 
at Reindeer Lake, whither he proposed to pro- 
ceed with the men. It appeared when about to 
start, that Adam was unable to move, and Peltier 
and Samandre agreed to remain with him. The 
Captain started on the 20th, with Benoit and Au- 
gustus, but breaking his snow shoes at the outset, 
he sent them forward and returned himself to the 
house, where he found Samandre as helpless as 
Adam. 

Captain Franklin now undertook the office of 
cook and nurse to the two sick men, while Peltier 
brought wood, and pounded the bones he collected. 
Thus the time wore on for some days, and it is 
wonderful how life lasted so long. Their strength 
declined daily, and when seated it was not without 
a great effort that they could rise again. Still Pel- 
tier persevered in collecting wood, which Captain 
Franklin, and Samandre, who had somewhat recov- 



POLAR REGIONS. 457 

ered, brought to the house. So feeble were they 
that their utmost exertions only sufficed to replen- 
ish the fire four times a day. Once in a while 
they saw deer near the house, but were wholly un- 
able to go in pursuit of them. 

On the 29th, Dr Richardson and Hepburn en- 
tered the house, whose first words gave information 
that Mr Hood and Michel were dead, and that Per- 
rault and Fontano had not been seen by them. 
The next day the new comers went in qaest of 
deer, and fired several times at them, but without 
success, as they were too weak to hold their guns 
steady. It was not till the evening of this day that 
the Doctor related his adventures subsequent to 
parting company with Capt. Franklin. We give 
an abridged account of them, as follows. 

It will be remembered that Dr Richardson, Mr 
Hood, and Hepburn were left by the party on 
the 8th of October. On the morning of the 9th, 
Michel, called the Iroquois, came to the tent, say- 
ing that Belanger, in company with whom he had 
been left by Captain Franklin, had started to join 
the Doctor two hours earlier than himself, and he 
supposed, must have gone astray, as he had himself 
done. Subsequent observations rendered it proba- 
ble that this account was false, and that Belanger 
was killed by Michel. 

The next morning, the officers, Hepburn, and Mi- 
chel went to the grove of pine trees, where Michel 
had been left by Capt. Franklin. Here, Michel 
said he had left a gun which had been given him 
by Perrault, though it seems by Capt. Franklin's 
39 



458 POLAR REGIONS. 

journal that Perrault made him no such present. 
After making a fire, and drinking a decoction of the 
Labrador tea plant, the Doctor, Mr Hood, and Hep- 
burn returned to the tent ; but Michel preferred 
sleeping where he was, promising to join them in 
the morning. At his request, their hatchet was left 
with him. 

On the 11th, Michel did not join them, and Dr 
Richardson and Hepburn were obliged to carry 
their bedding, &c. to the pines themselves, Mr 
Hood following them. On arriving, they were 
alarmed to find Michel absent, nor did he appear 
till night, when he stated that he had been hunt- 
ing all day. He had met with no success, he said, 
but had found a wolf that had been killed by the 
Stroke of a deer's horn, and had brought apart of it. 
His companions in misery believed this story at 
the time, but there are reasons to believe that the 
flesh he brought was that of Belanger or Perrault. 
It is not otherwise easy to account for his conceal- 
ing from the Doctor that Perrault had turned back, 
or for his voluntarily encumbering himself with a 
hatchet, unless he meant to cut up something 
which he already knew to be frozen. His retain- 
ing and even gaining strength while the others 
were daily becoming more feeble from starvation, 
is another strong circumstance against him. It is still 
a question whether he slew Belanger or Perrault, 
or whether he found their bodies in the snow. 
Captain Franklin, who, from knowing their situation, 
is best able to judge, is of opinion that he murdered 
them. Above all, his subsequent conduct proves 
him to have been capable to commit such a crime. 



POLAR REGIONS. 459 

Till the 18th, Michel behaved strangely, some- 
times going out to hunt, at others refusing to do so. 
His general demeanor was surly, and he often 
threatened to leave them. Mr Hood's strength 
was now completely prostrated by eating tripe de 
roche, and was scarcely able to sit up by the fire 
side. He complained that every breeze seemed to 
blow through his frame. 

On the 19th, Michel refused to hunt or assist in 
bringing wood, and Mr Hood remonstrated with 
him. Reproof only made him angry, and he used 
this remarkable expression. ' It is no use hunting ; 
there are no animals ; you had better kill and eat 
me.' At length, however, he went. 

On the morning of the 20th, Dr Richardson 
again urged Michel to go a hunting, but he showed 
great unwillingness, and lingered about the fire, pre- 
tending to clean his gun. The Doctor then went 
to gather tripe de roche, while Hepburn was em- 
ployed in felling a tree at a short distance. They 
were recalled to the fire by the report of a gun, 
and found Mr Hood dead. On examination, it ap- 
peared that a ball had entered the back part of his 
head, and that the muzzle of the gun had been so 
nigh as to singe his cap. Michel said that Mr Hood 
had sent him to the tent on some trifling errand, 
and that while he was absent the gun had gone off, 
he knew not how. Hepburn afterwards told the 
Doctor that he had heard Mr Hood and Michel 
talking in an angry tone, and that on hearing the 
gun, he had turned and saw Michel behind his vic- 
tim. Thus died an officer whose talents were an 



460 POLAR REGIONS. 

honor to his country, and whose virtues endeared 
him to all who knew him. Although neither Hep- 
burn nor the Doctor dared to express any suspi- 
cion, Michel earnestly exculpated himself, and 
avoided leaving them together, evidently fearing to 
permit them to converse in private. He under- 
stood English imperfectly, and whenever Hepburn 
spoke, he demanded if he accused him of the murder. 

Having determined to go to Fort Enterprise, 
the little party started on the 23d. Hepburn and 
Michel carried guns, and the Doctor a small pistol. 
Michel was very unwilling to go to the fort, and 
tried to persuade his companions to go to the 
woods, or the Coppermine, where he said he would 
maintain them all winter by killing deer. In con- 
sequence of his behaviour, Dr Richardson desired 
him to go to the woods by himself, a proposal 
which increased his ill-humor. 

Michel was a half-breed. He now began to 
threaten his companions, and to express his hatred 
to the whites, some of whom, he said, had killed 
and eaten his uncle and two of his relations. In 
speaking to Dr Richardson, he assumed such a 
tone of superiority as evinced that he considered 
him completely in his power. In fine, the Doctor 
was convinced by his demeanor that he would de- 
stroy them both on the first opportunity, and had 
only refrained from so doing hitherto, because he 
did not know the way to the fort. In the course 
of the day, he. several times remarked that they 
were following the same course that Capt. Frank- 
lin had done, and that by keeping toward the set- 



POLAR REGIONS. 461 

ting sun, he could find the way himself. Hepburn 
and Dr Richardson were not in a condition to re- 
sist even an open attack, nor could they by any 
device escape from him. Their united strength 
was far inferior to his, and, beside his gun, he was 
armed with two pistols, an Indian bayonet, and a 
knife. In the afternoon, coming to a rock, on which 
there was some tripe de roche, he halted, and said 
he w r ould gather it while they went on, and that he 
would soon overtake them. Hepburn and Dr Rich- 
ardson were now left together for the first time 
since Mr Hood's death. The result of this confer- 
ence w^as a conviction that there was no safety for 
them but in Michel's death, and Hepburn offered to 
be the instrument of it. Dr Richardson, however, 
resolved to take the responsibility on himself; and 
as soon as Michel came up, shot him through the 
head with a pistol. It then appeared that he had 
gathered no tripe de roche, and that he had only 
halted to put his gun in order, probably with the 
intention of killing them. 

Three more days of sickness and suffering 
brought the Doctor and Hepburn within sight of 
the Big Rock, a large stone opposite Fort Enter- 
prise. The sight gave them new vigor, and they 
pushed on with a resolution to get to the end of 
their journey that day. In the evening they saw 
several herds of deer, but Hepburn, who was a 
good marksman, w T as unable to hold out his gun ; 
and though he got near them, his efforts proved 
fruitless. In passing through a small grove of 



39^ 



462 POLAR REGIONS. 

pines, they saw a flock of partridges, and after sev- 
eral shots Hepburn succeeded in killing one. 

They came in sight of the fort at dusk, and were 
rejoiced to see the smoke curling from the chim- 
ney ; for, from not haying seen any footsteps in the 
vicinity, they had been agitated^by melancholy fore- 
bodings. On entering the now desolate building, 
they had the satisfaction to embrace Capt. Frank- 
lin ; but no words can convey an adequate idea of 
the filth and wretchedness that met their eyes. 
Their own misery had stolen on them by degrees, 
and they were each accustomed to the emaciated 
visage of the other ; but the ghastly countenances, 
dilated eyeballs, and sepulchral voices of the Cap- 
tain and those with him, were more than they could 
at first bear. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Death of Peltier and Samandre. — Extreme Weakness of the Survivors. — 
Their Intellects become weak. — Arrival of Indians. — Their Proceed- 
ings. — More Indians arrive. — Captain Franklin reaches the Camp of 
Akaitcho. — Mr Back's Adventures. — Death of Beauparlant. — End of 
the Journey. 

In the evening of the 31st, Peltier and Saman- 
dre complained of cold, sore throats, and cramps 
in the fingers. On the 1st of November, Peltier 
could not eat tripe de roche, and Samandre but 
very little of it, owing to the soreness of their throats. 
In the afternoon, Peltier was so far exhausted that 



POLAR REGIONS. 463 

he sat up with difficulty. At last he slided from 
his stool upon his bed, as the others supposed, to 
sleep, and remained quiet upwards of two hours. 
A rattling was then heard in his throat, and on the 
Doctor's examining him, he was found to be 
speechless. Samandre sat up the greater part of 
the day, and even assisted to pound some bones ; 
but the sad condition of Peltier rendered him me- 
lancholy, and he began to complain of cold and stiff- 
ness in the joints. In the course of the night 
Peltier died, and Samandre also expired before 
morning, both literally starved to death. The 
united strength of the survivors was inadequate to 
remove the bodies from the house. 

Peltier had jixed on the 1st of November, as the 
time when he should cease to expect relief from 
the Indians, and had repeatedly said that if they 
did not arrive by that day, he should not survive. 
He was dear to his officers for his cheerfulness, 
his activity, and affectionate disposition, and up 
to the time of his decease he had nursed Adam 
with the most tender solicitude. Samandre too had 
been willing to share the labors of the party, but 
had been unable. 

The task of collecting food and fuel now de- 
volved on Dr Richardson and Hepburn, Adam be- 
ing worse than ever, and Captain Franklin too fee- 
ble to render them any material assistance. As 
they were now unable to go in search of wood, 
they pulled down the logs of which the store-house 
was built. 

On the 3d, Hepburn was affected by swellings 



464 POLAR REGIONS. 

in his limbs, and his strength as well as that of the 
Doctor was rapidly declining ; yet they continued 
full of hope. Their utmost exertions could only 
renew the fire thrice, and on making it up the third 
time they went to bed. Their stock of bones was 
this day exhausted. 

On the 5th, the breezes were light, with dark 
cloudy weather and some snow. The Doctor and 
Hepburn were getting much weaker, and the limbs 
of the latter w r ere now greatly swelled. They came 
into the house frequently in the course of the day, 
to rest themselves ; and, when once seated, were 
unable to rise without the help of one another, or 
of a stick. Adam was for the most part in the 
same low state as before, but sometimes he sur- 
prised the others by getting up and walking with 
an appearance of increased strength. His looks 
were now wild and ghastly, and his conversa- 
tion was often incoherent. 

The next day was fine, but very cold. The 
swellings in Adam's limbs having subsided, he was 
free from pain, and arose this morning in much 
better spirits, and spoke of getting his gun ready 
for shooting partridges or any animals that might ap- 
pear near the house; but his tone entirely changed 
before the day was half over: he became again 
dejected, and could scarcely be prevailed upon to 
eat. The Doctor and Hepburn were almost ex- 
hausted. The cutting of one log of wood occupied 
the latter half an hour ; and the other took as much 
time to drag it into the house, though the distance 
did not exceed thirty yards. 



POLAR REGIONS. 465 

Owing to their loss of flesh, the hardness of the 
floor gave them great pain, especially in those parts 
on which the weight rested ; yet to turn over for 
relief, was an affair of toil and difficulty. The 
acute pains of hunger had now subsided. In the 
day time they conversed on light and trivial subjects, 
avoiding to speak of their situation, or even of the 
prospect of relief. In proportion as their strength 
decayed, their minds exhibited symptoms of weak- 
ness, evinced by a kind of unreasonable pettish- 
ness with each other. Each thought the other 
weaker in intellect than himself, and more in need 
of advice and assistance. So trifling a circum- 
stance as a change of place, recommended by one 
as being warmer and more comfortable, and refused 
by the other from a dread of motion, frequently 
called forth fretful expressions, which were no soon- 
er uttered than atoned for, to be repeated per- 
haps in the course of a few minutes. The same 
thing often occurred when they endeavoured to as- 
sist each other in carrying wood to the fire ; none 
of them were willing to receive assistance, although 
the task was disproportioned to their strength. On 
one of these occasions, Hepburn was so convinced 
of this waywardness, that he exclaimed, ' Dear me, 
if we are spared to return to England, I wonder if 
we shall recover our understandings.' 

November 7. — Adam passed a restless night, 
being disquieted by gloomy apprehensions of ap- 
proaching death. He was so low in the morning 
as to be scarcely able to speak. Captain Franklin 
remained in bed by his side, to cheer him as much 



466 POLAR REGIONS. 

as possible. The Doctor and Hepburn went to 
cut wood. They had hardly begun their labor, 
when they were amazed at hearing the report of a 
musket. They could scarcely believe that there 
was really any one near, until they heard a shout, 
and immediately espied three Indians close to the 
house. Adam and the Captain heard the latter 
noise, and were fearful that a part of the house had 
fallen upon one of their companions, a disaster 
which had in fact been thought not unlikely. The 
alarm was only momentary ; Dr Richardson came 
in to communicate the joyful intelligence that relief 
had arrived. Poor Adam was in so low a state 
that he could scarcely comprehend the information. 
When the Indians entered, he attempted to rise, 
but sank down again. But for this seasonable in- 
terposition of Providence, his existence must have 
terminated in a few hours, and that of the rest prob- 
ably in not many days. 

The Indians had left Akaitcho's encampment on 
the 5th November, having been sent by Mr Back 
with all possible expedition, after he had arrived at 
their tents. They brought but a small supply of 
provision, that they might travel quickly. Though 
perfectly aware of the consequence, the sufferers 
ate immoderately. Dr Richardson cautioned them 
to refrain, but was himself unable to practise the 
caution he recommended. The result was that 
they suffered dreadfully from indigestion, in the 
night. 

One of the Indians was instantly despatched for 
a fresh supply of food, while the other two re- 



POLAR REGIONS. 467 

mained to take care of the sufferers. These kind 
creatures did all in their power to make them com- 
fortable, keeping up good fires and feeding them. 
They also persuaded them to shave, an operation 
they had not performed since leaving the sea 
coast. 

No supply arrived, and the Indians became de- 
spondent, thinking that some accident had befallen 
their companion. On the evening of the 13th, 
they departed without saying a word to any one, 
leaving the party a second time without food, 
and with appetites excited by recent indulgence. 
They were beginning to despair, w r hen on the 
15th, a party of Indians arrived with provisions. 
It was important to get among the reindeer be- 
fore the present supply should fail, and they left 
Fort Enterprise the next morning. They made 
but slow progress, but the Indians treated them 
with a humanity that would have done honor to 
the most civilized people. They gave them their 
snow-shoes, going without themselves, and walked 
beside them to assist them when they fell. They 
prepared the encampments, cooked, and fed them 
like children, till, on the 26th, they all arrived at 
the camp of Akaitcho, where they were received 
with the utmost kindness. Here Capt. Franklin 
learned that Mr Back had gone to Fort Providence 
with his men. 

We have not room to follow Capt. Franklin to 
England. Of Augustus the Esquimaux and Be- 
noit, who left him at Fort Enterprise, suffice it to 
say, that he found them alive and well in the camp 



468 POLAR REGIONS. 

of Akaitcho. The adventures of Mr Back and his 
men, however, who it will be remembered parted 
from the Captain on the 5th of October, claim 
some further notice. 

Their sufferings on the way to Fort Enterprise, 
which they reached on the 10th, were scarcely 
less than those of Capt. Franklin and his party. 
On reaching the house and finding it desolate, 
Mr Back determined to go in search of the In- 
dians, which resolution he carried into effect by 
leaving the house on the eleventh. 

A lake was in their road which was not frozen ; 
and while waiting for the ice to make, Mr Back 
despatched Belanger to Fort Enterprise, where he 
arrived, as has already been related. In his ab- 
sence, Mr Back proceeded along the lake toward a 
place where St Germain stated that plenty of fish 
might be caught. They had not gone far, when 
Beauparlant complained of increasing weakness ; 
but this was so common an occurrence, and all 
were so feeble, that no notice was taken of it. While 
they stopped to rest, he was told that a grove of 
pines near them would be the place of encamp- 
ment. He desired them to go thither, saying that 
he would follow at his leisure, and they gained 
the spot accordingly. Here a flock of crows 
guided them to some heads of deer, half buried in 
snow and ice, which the previous severity of the 
weather had compelled the wolves to abandon. 
At the sight of this supply, Mr Back and St Ger- 
main exclaimed, ' merciful God, we are saved!' 

Darkness stole over them, and Beauparlant did 



POLAR REGIONS. 469 

not arrive, though he answered to their calls. A 
fog rendered the atmosphere still thicker, so that 
they dared not go for him, lest they should not be 
able to find the way back. In the morning, St 
Germain went for him, and found him stretched on 
his back, frozen to death, his limbs swelled and ex- 
tended, and as hard as the ice around him. 

On the same day Belanger returned to Mr Back 
from Fort Enterprise.- Mr Back would then have 
gone to Reindeer Lake, but the men refused to stir 
till they should in some degree have recovered their 
strength. Here- then they remained, subsisting on 
the remains they had found till the 30th, when, hav- 
ing with great care collected two small packets of 
meat and sinews, they started on the direct road to 
Fort Providence. 

They had the farther good fortune to take the re- 
mains of a deer from some wolves that had just kill- 
ed it. After walking till the 3d, they came to the 
footsteps of Indians, when Mr Back and Belanger 
encamped, while St Germain went forward ; and, ar- 
riving at the camp of Akaitcho before night, sent 
a supply of food to them. On Mr Back's arrival at 
the tents, relief was sent to those at Fort Enter- 
prise, as before related. 

Little remains to say. Care, kind attention, and 
improved diet gradually restored the health and 
strength of Captain Franklin and his fellow-travel- 
lers. By the return of spring; they had nearly re- 
gained their ordinary state of health. Hepburn alone 
suffered from a severe attack of rheumatism, which 
confined him to his bed for several weeks, 
40 



470 POLAR REGIONS. 

On the 14th of July following, they arrived at 
York Factory, where they embarked for England. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

Second Journey of Captain Franklin. — Attack by the Esquimaux. — De- 
scription of the Esquimaux. — Their Women. — Farther Progress. — The 
Expeditionreturns. — Capt. Beechy. — Doctor Richardson's Voyage. — The 
Esquimaux. — Their Huts. — Observations on the Magnetic Pole. 

We shall give but a sketch of the second journey 
of Captain Franklin to the Polar Sea. It is not 
necessary to accompany him through the difficul- 
ties of rapids, portages, &c. or over that part of the 
continent described in previous chapters. We shall 
commence at where the Great Bear Lake River 
flowing out of Great Bear Lake, joins Mackenzie's 
River. Up this stream the expedition proceeded 
to the Great Bear Lake, where they passed the 
winter of 1825-6. 

As soon as the season opened, the Expedition 
moved down the Mackenzie's River to the Ocean. 
Thence Dr Richardson sailed eastward along the 
coast, and Captain Franklin westward. The mouth 
of the Mackenzie's is in latitude 69° 25', and longi- 
tude 135° 4K The river is too well known from 
the account of Mackenzie, to need any descrip- 
tion here. 

Captain Franklin had scarcely cleared the mouth 
of the river, when he perceived a crowd of Esqui- 
maux tents on an island, and proceeded toward 



POLAR REGIONS. 471 

them. The water became shallow as the boats 
neared the island, and they grounded a mile from 
the beach. In a very few minutes they were sur- 
rounded with canoes, so many, indeed, that they 
were unable to count them. Their occupants 
amounted to some hundreds of men. A barter was 
begun, and the savages at last becoming troublesome 
from their eagerness, Captain Franklin determined 
to leave them. It was too late ; the tide had ebbed 
too far, and the boats were fast aground. In this 
situation it happened that a canoe was upset by the 
stroke of an oar, and the wet savage was taken into 
the Captain's boat, wherein he discovered many 
bales and other articles. He communicated his 
observations to his comrades, who then commenced 
a general pillage, which was resisted by the whites, 
without, however, much violence on either side. 
At the request of Captain Franklin, these people 
retired, but it was only to concert a plan of attack. 
They returned, and laying hands on the boats, drag- 
ged them high and dry on the beach. Then, drawing 
their long knives, they renewed their depredations, 
handing the articles, as they took them, to the wo- 
men, who quickly conveyed them out of sight. They 
received blows, even with the buts of muskets with 
much indifference, and brandished their knives in a 
furious manner ; but in two instances only did they 
attempt to stab. The whites manifested much 
forbearance, during these proceedings, which lasted 
several hours ; but at last, as the tide was rising, 
Lieut. Back directed his men to level their muskets, 
and the savages fled. As the boats left the beach, 



472 "POLAR REGIONS. 

they prepared to follow; but on hearing Captain 
Franklin threaten to fire on them, they desisted. 

The boats grounded again, and Augustus, the in- 
terpreter, waded ashore, and rebuked them for their 
conduct; notwithstanding which, when the boat got 
again in motion, they followed, and were only pre- 
vented from attacking by fear of the fire-arms. ■ As 
these people were like all the Esquimaux subse- 
quently seen, in dress, personal appearance, &c. a 
description of them will serve for the whole ; though 
it was. remarked that the farther the whites advan- 
ced westward, the nearer the features of the natives 
resembled those of Tartars. Every man had pieces of 
shells thrust through the septum of his nose ; and 
bone or holes were pierced on each side of the under 
.lip, in which were placed circular pieces of ivory, with 
a large blue bead in the centre, similar to those repre- 
senteil in the drawings of the natives on the N.'W. 
coast of America, in Kotzebue's Voyage. These 
ornaments were so much valued, that they declined 
selling them ; and when not rich enough to procure 
beads orivory, stones and pieces of bone were sub- 
stituted. These perforations are made at the age 
of puberty ; and one of the party, who appeared to 
be about fourteen years old, was pointed out, with 
delight, by his parents, as having to undergo the 
operation in the following year. He was a good- 
looking boy, and Capt. F. could not fancy his coun- 
tenance would be much improved by the insertion 
of the bones or stones, which have the effect of 
depressing the under lip, and keeping the mouth 
Open.' 



POLAR REGIONS. 473 

With regard to the women. Captain Franklin ob- 
serves, 

* Their own black hair is very tastefully turned 
up from behind to the top of the head, and tied by 
strings of white and blue beads, or cords of white 
deer-skin. It is divided in front, so as to form on 
each side a thick tail, to which are appended strings 
of beads that reach to the waist. The women were 
from four feet and a half to four and three-quarters 
high, and generally fat. Some of the younger fe- 
males, and the children, were pretty. The men, 
when sitting for their portraits, were more sedate, 
though not less pleased, than the females : some of 
them remarked that they were not handsome enough 
to be taken to our country.' 

Having passed the first range of the Rocky Moun- 
tains, between it and the second, a large river, 
at least two miles broad, was observed to empty 
itself into the Polar Sea, after coming, as the Es- 
quimaux informed them, from a distant part of the 
interior. Near to HerschePs Island, in latitude 69° 
33' N., longitude 139° 3' W., was another river, 
which they called the Mountain Indian River. Here 
they fell in with a party of Esquimaux, who traded 
up that river and to the westward with their country- 
men, who obtain their goods from white people, and 
which Capt. Franklin had no doubt, from the ap- 
pearance of the articles, were of Russian manufac- 
ture. There is another large river, to which they 
gave the name of Clarence : here they found among 
the drift timber on the beach a pine-tree, seven feet 
and a quarter in girth and thirty-six feet long, and 
40 * 



474 POLAR REGIONS. 

many others were seen of not much inferior size, 
which must have grown considerably to the south- 
ward. 

It was the 16th of August before the boats reach- 
ed the half-way point between the Mackenzie's River 
and Icy Cape, being often detained by ice and by 
•contrary winds, &c. Captain Franklin, therefore, 
determined to turn back. Captain Beechy, who, 
with the view of meeting Captain Franklin, had sail- 
ed to Bhering's Straits, proceeded an hundred and 
twenty miles beyond Icy Cape, or within a hun- 
dred and sixty miles of the spot whence Captain 
Franklin turned back. On the 24th of August, he 
reached a low, sandy point, extending so far north 
that he was unable to proceed round it, and it was 
with much difficulty that he got back to his vessel. 

The distance of the coast, traced westward from 
the mouth of the Mackenzie, was three hundred and 
seventyfour miles, without one harbour in which 
a ship could find shelter. It is, in fact, one of 
the most dreary, miserable, and uninteresting 
portions of sea-coast to be found in any part of 
the world. 

On the 21st of September, this western expedition 
reached Fort Franklin, where they had the happi- 
ness of meeting all their friends, the eastern detach- 
ment under Dr Richardson having arrived on the 
1st, after a most successful voyage, at which we 
must now take a passing glance. 

Dr Richardson was much more fortunate than 
the western party in the nature of the navigation he 
had to perform, and of the coast between the mouths 



POLAR REGIONS, 475 

of the two rivers. It is a voyage of about five hun- 
dred miles, which \\e accomplished between the 4th 
of July and the 8th of August. The Esquimaux 
they met with on various parts of the coast, as well 
as on the islands formed by the reaches of the 
Mackenzie's River, were more numerous, more 
peaceable, and, apparently, more wealthy, than those 
to the westward ; bat, like all savage nations, they 
neglected no opportunity of stealing, while carrying 
on barter, whatever they could lay hands on. Howev- 
er, with the exception of one party, who had about 
fifty kaiyacks, no violence was attempted. This 
exception was occasioned by the boats grounding, 
when an attack, similar to that on Capt. Franklin, was 
made, but immediately repelled by the show of fire- 
arms, the use of which the aggressors appeared 
perfectly to understand, — the result, no doubt, of 
experience acquired in contest with the neighbour- 
ing Indians. 

Their winter-huts are of a superior kind ; they 
are met with in whole villages, constructed of drift- 
wood trees, planted generally in the sand with the 
roots uppermost. ' These villages,' says Dr Rich- 
ardson, ' when seen through a hazy atmosphere, 
frequently resembled a crowd of people, and some- 
times we fancied they were not unlike the spires of 
a town appearing above the horizon.' The size and 
quantity of this timber is quite surprising. One 
straight log of spruce fir is mentioned, thirty feet 
long, seven feet in circumference at the small end, 
and twelve a short distance above the root. ' There 
is such an abundance of drift-timber,' says Dr 



476 POLAR REGIONS. 

Richardson, « on almost every part of the coast, 
that a sufficient supply of fuel for a ship might 
easily be collected; and,' he adds, 'should the 
course of events ever introduce a steam-vessel into 
those seas, it may be important to know that, in 
coasting the shores between Cape Bathurst and the 
Mackenzie's, fire-wood sufficient for her daily con- 
sumption may be gathered.' 

Doctor Richardson then proceeded up the Cop- 
permine to the portage between that river and 
Great Bear Lake, by which he returned to the quar- 
ters of the preceding winter, and so ended the 
travels of the expedition, so far, at least, as we 
have anything to do with them. 

The lowest temperature witnessed by the expe- 
dition was on the 7th of February of the second 
winter passed at Bear Lake. The mercury de- 
scended to — 58, having stood at about — 57° for 
two days. 

A few remarks respecting the magnetic pole 
must close this chapter. Its position, as com- 
puted from Capt. Franklin's observations by 
Professor Barlow, is in 69° 16' north latitude, 
and 98° 8' west longitude, and by the obser- 
vations of Captain Parry in lat. 70° 43' north, 
long. 98° 54' west, its mean place being in lat. 70° 
0' north, long. 98° 3T west, which is between Port 
Bowen and Fort Franklin ; the former being sit- 
uated in lat. 73° 14' north, long. 88° 54' west, and 
the latter in 65° 12' north, long. 123° 12' west. It 
appears, therefore, that during the same months, at 
the interval of only one year, Captains Parry and 



POLAR REGIONS. 477 

Franklin were making hourly observations on two 
needles, the north ends of which pointed almost 
directly towards each other, though their actual 
distance did not exceed eight hundred and fiftyfive 
geographical miles ; and while the needle of Port 
Bowen was increasing its westerly direction, Capt. 
Franklin's was increasing its easterly, and the con- 
trary, — the variation being west at Port Bowen and 
east at Fort Franklin ; a beautiful and satisfactory 
proof of the solar influence on the daily variation. 



NOTICE OF KOTZEEUE'S VOYAGE. 



Arrival of Lieut. Kotzebue at Cape Prince of Wales. — Discovery of a 
fourth Island in the GwozJefF Group. — Dwellings of the Natives.— 
Conduct of the Savages. ---Appearance of the Land.— The Natives. — 
Ice-Bergs on Land.— -Researches in Kotzbeue's Sound.— Advantages 
of this Discovery. 

The voyage of Lieut. Kotzebue of the Russian 
navy was undertaken with the purpose of effecting 
a passage round the northern coast of America by 
the way of Bhering's Strait. That, and the only 
part of it which comes within the scope of our un- 
dertaking, relates to the proceedings of Lieut. Kot- 
zebue subsequent to leaving Kamschatka. 

On the 30th of July, 1817, the Rurick, Mr Kot- 
zebue's vessel, came in sight of Cape Prince of 
Wales, the Asiatic coast being visible at the same 
time, as well as Gwozdeff's Islands. According 
to Cook, there are three islands in this group ; but 
Mr Kotzebue discovered a fourth, much larger than 
the rest, which he called Ratmanoff's Island. A 
low land extends from Cape Prince of Wales to 
the westward, on which groups of natives were 
seen. The coast appeared green, but no trees 
were observed. Many habitations were seen, in- 
dicating a numerous population. 

Taking an east-northeast direction, the Rurick 
came to a bay, which Mr Kotzebue determined to 
explore, and accordingly landed near some huts, 
into which he went. The inhabitants had fled. 
The interior of these dwellings was cleanly and 



POLAR REGIONS. 479 

convenient. The whites first entered an apart- 
ment ten feet long, seven broad, and seven high. 
The walls were of mud, but were covered on the 
outside with wood. From this room they crept, 
through a pit, into another, and from thence to a 
spacious anti-room, the four walls of which were 
ten feet long and six feet high. The permanent 
construction of these buildings indicated a settled 
people, and the piles of blubber found in them 
showed that they drew their subsistence from the 
sea. 

After looking about, Mr Kotzebue discovered 
that he was on an island, and that there was a deep 
bay to the eastward, into which the Rurick sailed a 
short distance. Here they saw two of the natives, 
who were afraid to hold communication with them. 
Their clothing was made of the intestines of whales ; 
their appearance was very filthy, and their counte- 
nances had an expression of ferocity. This bay 
received the name of Schischmareff. Before the 
Rurick left it, more of the savage s approached her, 
with threats ; but were daunted at the sight of the 
sabres of the crew, having probably been made 
acquainted with the use of this weapon by the 
savages of the opposite coast of Asia. They were 
dressed in short garments of reindeer skin, and 
wore their hair short. They also had walrus bones 
under their lips, which gave their disagreeable 
countenances a disgusting appearance. 

Proceeding along the coast, it was observed that 
the shore vanished in the east, and high mountains 
were seen to the northward. Lieut. Kotzebue 



480 POLAR REGIONS. 

now flattered himself that he was at the entrance 
of the much desired northeast passage, and his ob- 
servations from a hill on shore confirmed him in the 
opinion. No land was to be seen to the eastward, 
and he supposed that the mountains to the north- 
ward either formed islands, or were a coast by 
themselves. From the eminence where he stood, 
there was an extensive view into the country, which 
stretched out into a large plain, here and there 
broken by ponds and marshes. As far as the eye 
could reach, the earth was green and there were 
flowers in blossom ; but on penetrating six inches, 
ice and frost were found everywhere. While sit- 
ting here, five canoes, with each from eight to ten 
Indians, landed near the whites. The savages left 
most of their arms in their canoes, but retained 
their knives, which, like the Esquimaux, they con- 
cealed in their sleeves. 

These people had probably never seen Euro- 
peans before ; yet they were acquainted with the 
use of tobacco, which they chewed and smoked. 
They were of a middle size, ugly and dirty, and 
healthy in appearance. Their motions were lively, 
and they seemed inclined to merriment. Their 
features had an expression of wantonness, but not 
of stupidity. In some particulars they resembled 
the Esquimaux ; for instance, in the size and ob- 
liquity of their eyes, and in the practice of wear- 
ing walrus bones stuck through the sides of their 
mouths. They understood trading very well, and 
were very happy when they imagined they had 
cheated their visitors. Their arms were spears, 



POLAR REGIONS. 481 

bows, arrows and knives. Their spears were of 
iron, like those sold by the Russians to the Ischuk- 
utskoi ; their beads also, which were like those 
worn by the savages of Asia, prove that they have 
some intercourse with that continent. 

Sailing up the opening, on the 3d of August, the 
Rurick came to an opening five miles broad, which 
appeared to run without impediment to the hori- 
zon, and Lieut. Kotzebue was still persuaded that 
he had entered the northeast passage. On the 7th, 
the Rurick came in sight of the bottom of the inlet 
Here the land rises a little from the water, and 
is covered with moss. Some of the party re- 
mained on shore here a whole day, and made a 
very remarkable discovery. 

They had clomb much about without discover- 
ing that they were on real ice-bergs. Dr Esch- 
scholtz, who had extended his excursions, found 
part of the bank broken down, and saw, to his as- 
tonishment, that the hill consisted of pure ice. At 
this news, all went, with picks and shovels, to ex- 
amine the place, and soon arrived where the bank 
rose almost perpendicularly from the sea to the 
height of an hundred feet, and then ran off much 
higher. They saw T masses of pure ice an hundred 
feet high, under a cover of moss and grass. In 
the ruptured part, a great number of mammoths' 
teeth and bones were exposed by the melting. 
The covering of these bergs, on which grass grows 
luxuriantly, is only half a foot thick, and consists of 
a mixture of clay, sand and earth. In the back 
41 



482 POLAR REGIONS. 

ground of this bay, there is a range of high foun- 
tains. The latitude is 66° 15' north. 

Lieut. Kotzebue continued to explore this great 
inlet till the 14th of the month, in the hope of find- 
ing a passage eastward, or at least a river ; but his 
labors were useless, as it finally became certain 
that no passage existed here. Mr Kotzebue gave 
the gulf his own name, and it is marked on the map 
as Kotzebue's Sound. 

During his perquisitions in this quarter, he saw 
many of the natives, who resembled those already 
described. One only of them could be persuaded 
to come on board the Rurick. He was a robust 
young man, who appeared to be a chief. His aston- 
ishment at what he saw in the vessel was great ; 
he looked about for a quarter of an hour without 
speaking, and then went away to communicate his 
observations to his people. 

On one occasion, they were seen eating. A seal 
which had just been killed was cut open in the 
middle, and they put their heads into the belly to 
suck the blood, one after another. After they had 
drank sufficiently in this manner, a piece of flesh 
was cut off and eaten raw by each, and they fed 
with great appetite. 

It is impossible to say, from the data furnished 
by Lieut. Kotzebue, whether these people w T ere Es- 
quimaux or not. He has not given us any remarks 
on their language, or the manner in which their 
weapons, canoes, &c. are constructed. Of their 
canoes, he only says that they were made of leath- 
er. Their clothing, as he describes it, was unlike 



POLAR REGIONS. 483 

the dresses seen by Capt. Franklin ; but in their 
manner of life and physical appearance, they in a 
great measure resemble the Esquimaux. 

On the 14th of August, the Rurick reached the 
promontory which forms the northern entrance of 
Kotzebue's Sound, to which the name of Cape 
Krusenstern was given. What the Lieutenant, on en- 
tering the gulf, took for islands in the north, proved to 
be very high lands : on a low point, which extends 
from it to the west, many huts were seen. The in- 
habitants were running about on the shore, and 
some of them endeavoured to come to the vessel in 
canoes, but in vain, as the wind was in her favor. 

From Cape Krusenstern the land forms a bend 
to the northeast, and then inclines to the nortlrwestj 
where it ends in a very high promontory, supposed 
by Lieut Kotzebue to be the Cape Mulgrave of 
Capt. Cook. It is in latitude 67° 45'. 

According to his instructions, Lieut Kotzebue 
should have looked for a safe anchoring place in 
Norton Sound, and thence have proceeded the 
next year to examine the coast ; but as he had 
now discovered a convenient anchoring place, he 
deemed a voyage to Norton Sound quite unneces- 
sary. He therefore determined to return to the 
Asiatic coast. 

The discoveries of Mr Kotzebue on the North- 
west coast of America began and ended at the 
sound which bears his name. Inconsiderable as 
this may be, it is still an important acquisition to 
geography ; for, in truth, even Capt. Cook treated 
this coast rather negligently. This gulf may in time 



484 POLAR REGIONS. 

be of essential advantage to the fur trade, as the 
animals are there found in abundance. Besides, 
the navigation of Bhering's Strait has hitherto been 
dangerous, because the masters of ships, in case of 
wreck or other accidents, knew no port where they 
might run for shelter. This difficulty is now removed, 
and those who shall in future visit this part of the 
coast will find the essential benefit of the discovery. 

Though the crew of the Rurick often threw out 
their lines, they caught no fish, nor were any seen 
on all the American coast. Mr Kotzebue is, there- 
fore, of opinion that there are none, or that they do 
not resort thither in summer. Of sea animals there 
is abundance, on which the natives appear to sub- 
sist entirely. 

Dr Eschscholtz, who daily observed the water 
in the sound with an areometer, found it very fresh, 
which probably arises from the melting of ice, or 
perhaps there is a large river in the vicinity, which 
escaped observation. On the whole, it was found 
that the water on the American coast contains much 
less salt than that on the Asiatic. 

The mean height of the thermometer out of Kot- 
zebue's Sound was +9° ; within it, the average was 
+ 11°, all of which must be understood of the Amer- 
ican coast only. 

We have now accomplished what we proposed 
to do, as far as our abilities and limits permitted. 
Many things have been unavoidably omitted ; but 
we trust that we have given every material fact 
connected with our subject. 



APPENDIX. 



A full description of the forms, habits, &c. of the animals 
found in the arctic regions would suffice to fill a quarto, at least. 
Therefore we premise, that our brief account of the most 
remarkable will necessarily be imperfect. We refer those 
who wish to be better informed on this subject to Dr Richard- 
son's complete and elegant work, the Fauna Boreali Ameri- 
cana. 

Ursus Maritimus. (Cuvier.) The Polar Bear. 

This animal is distinguished from the other species by its 
narrow head and muzzle, prolonged on a straight line with the 
flattened forehead ; its short ears ; long neck ; the greater 
length of its body in proportion to its height ; the soles of the 
hinder feet equalling one sixth of the length of its body ; and, 
lastly, the quality of its fur, which is very thick and long on the 
body, still more so on the limbs, and every where of a yellowish 
white color. The naked extremity of the snout, the tongue, 
margins of the eyelids, and claws, are black ; the lips purplish 
black, and the interior of the mouth pale violet. It resides most- 
ly on fields of ice, and is found on all the Asiatic coasts of the 
Frozen Ocean as well as in Spitzbergen, Nova Zembla, Green- 
land, Labrador, the shores of Hudson's and Baffin's Bays, 
and sometimes along the northern shore of America. The 
female produces two young at a time. Its length, when full 
grown, is eight feet eight inches, and its weight is sixteen hun 
dred pounds. The polar bear is carnivorous. 
41* 



486 APPENDIX. 

XJrsus Horribilis. (Say.) The Grizzly, or Grisly, Bear. 

Inhabits the western prairies and Rocky Mountains, as far 
north as latitude 61°, perhaps still farther. Its fur is long, and 
of a dark brown color, with paler tips, that on the flanks being 
lighter in summer, and there is often a mixture of grey hairs on 
the head. The muzzle is pale. It is distinguished from the 
black and brown bears, by shorter and more conical ears, 
placed further apart, and white, arched, and very long claws, 
compressed like the incisors of a squirrel, carrying their breadth 
on their upper surface nearly to the tips, and are sharp under- 
neath. They project far beyond the hair of the foot, and cut 
like knives, when the animal strikes a blow with them. The 
forehead is broad, flattish, and continued nearly in a line with 
the nose ; but in the older animals there is a distinct projection 
of the superciliary ridges of the frontal bone. The soles of its 
feet are longer and its heels are broader than those of the 
brown bear of Europe. It tail is so short as to be hidden by 
the hair of the buttocks. 

The strength and ferocity of the grizzly bear are very great. 
When full grown it measures more than nine feet in length, and 
weighs upwards of eight hundred pounds. It is carnivorous, 
but when flesh is not to be had, does not reject vegetable sub- 
stances. Pregnant females and cubs hibernate, but the older 
males come abroad in the winter, in quest of food. 

Ursus Arcticus Americanus. Barren Ground Bear. 

This animal differs from the common black bear in its great- 
er size, profile, physiognomy, longer soles, and tail ; and from 
the grizzly bear in color, and in the comparative smallness of 
its claws. It inhabits the barren country north and east of 
Great Slave Lake, and extending to the Frozen Sea, whither it 
repairs in autumn, to feed on fish. 

The color of this bear is dusky brown, but the shoulders and 
flanks are, at least in the summer season, covered with long 
hair, often very pale towards the tips. It preys indiscriminate- 
ly en animal and vegetable substances. 

The forehead of the barren ground bear is broad, slightly con- 
vex, and the arch of the orbit rises conspicuously at the root of 
the nose, which is straight. The legs are long, and the claws 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 




eg -- ^..-.ww^.^ 

Moose, p. 491. 



Reindeer, p. 490. 




Spermaceti Whale. 




I ■■■■; 






mmm 



§g§§ip 




Walruss. p. 501. 



Seal. p. 49(3! 




Wdf. 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 




Grissly Bear. p. 486. 




Grissly Bear waiting for a Man np a Tree. 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS, 







Cutting up a Whale, p. 73. 




Harpooning' a Whale, p. 81. 



ILLUSTRATIONS FOR POLAR REGIONS. 




Travellers Resting at Night, p. '170. 




Crossing a Lake. p. 404. 



APPENDIX. 487 

more pointed than those of the grizzly hear. The length of 
an individual examined by Dr Richardson was five feet two 
inches. 

This animal does not possess the courage of the grizzly 
bear, and does not often attack the human race. 

Wolves. 

We deem it unnecessary to describe this animal, as it is well 
known to all, at least the common kind. It is believed that 
the difference of color is merely accidental. The canis nubilis 
of Say, or dusky wolf, is a variety distinguished from the others 
by its shorter ears and more robust form. It is found at Great 
Slave Lake, and probably still farther north. 

Canis Borealis (Desmarest.) Esquimaux Dog. 

The Esquimaux dog nearly resembles the common grey wolf 
in form, color, and size. It has short conical ears, but its nose 
is shorter than that of the wolf. The nose, cheeks, and belly 
are white. The back and the top of the head are almost black, 
but there is a narrow, white line along the spine. Its sides 
are thinly covered with long, black, and some white hairs, 
and there is a shorter, dense coat of yellowish grey wool, which 
is partly visible. The length of the animal is four feet three 
inches ; with the tail, which is curled, five feet five inches. 

Canis Lagofus. Hare Indian Dog. 

This animal has a mild, demure countenance. It has a small 
head, slender muzzle, erect, thick ears, oblique eyes, slender 
legs, hairy feet, and a curled bushy tail. It has long hair, es- 
pecially about the shoulders, and at the roots of the hair there 
is a thick wool. The hair on the top of the head is long, and 
on the posterior part of the cheek it is not only long but direct- 
ed backwards, giving the animal, when the fur is in prime order, 
the appearance of having a ruff round its neck. Its face, muz- 
zle, belly, and legs are pure white, and there is a white central 
line passing over the crown of the head and occiput. The an- 
terior surface of the ear is white, the posterior yellowish grey. 
The end of the nose, the eye-lashes, the roof of the mouth, and 
part of the gums are black. There is a dark patch over the 



488 APPENDIX. 

eye. On the back and sides there are larger spots of dark 
grey, not definite in form, but running into each other. The 
tail is white beneath and at the tip. The feet are covered with 
hair which almost conceals the claws. The soles are bare. 

This animal is rather larger than the common red fox. It is 
playful and affectionate, but not docile. It is fond of being 
caressed, and rubs its back against the hand, like a cat. 

Canis Lagopus. (Linn.) Arctic Fox. 

In winter, the arctic fox is pure white, except at the tip of the 
tail, where there are a few dark hairs. Before the eyes, and 
on the lower jaw, the hair is short and sleek ; on the forehead 
and posterior part of the cheeks, it is longer, and on the neck 
and occiput it equals the ears in length, and is mixed with soft 
wool, of which there is also a great deal on the body. The 
long fur on the posterior part of the cheeks is directed back- 
ward, giving a cast to the physiognomy, and an apparent thick- 
ness to the neck, which are common to all the animals of this 
ge^nus in the northern parts of America. It has shorter and 
rounder ears than any variety of the red fox. In summer, the 
white hair falls off, and is replaced by a shorter coat more or 
less colored. Its length is two feet one inch without the tail, 
which measures a foot more. The weight is about eight 
pounds. Though the arctic fox suffers himself to be easily 
taken, he is by no means deficient in sagacity. When taken, 
he is easily tamed. 

Arctic foxes inhabit the most northern lands yet discovered ; 
their southern limit is in latitude about 50°. They breed on 
the sea-coast, chiefly within the arctic circle, in burrows, not 
solitary, but in little villages, twenty or thirty burrows adjoin- 
ing to each other. They feed on eggs, birds and carrion of 
any kind, but their principal food seems to be lemmings. 

Lemmings. 

There are several kinds of lemmings in the northern regions 
of America. Dr Richardson classes them as a subdivision of the 
genus arvicola, characterized principally by the shortness of the 
ears and tail, and the larger and stronger claws, more fitted for 
digging. The Lapland lemming inhabits alpine swamps, in lat- 



APPENDIX. 489 

itude 56°. Back's lemming is found on the banks of the Cop- 
permine, where it burrows in the turf. Another species is 
called the arvicola helvolus, and is armed with a thumb-nail. 
The Hudson's Bay lemming inhabits Labrador, the western 
coast of Hudson's and Baffin's Bays, and the islands in the po- 
lar sea, where it burrows under stones in dry ridges. It is 
easily tamed. The Greenland lemming is found in Greenland 
and on the opposite coast of America. These animals are all 
very like the lemmings of the old continent, in size, habits and 
appearance. 

Gulo Luscus. (Sabine.) The Wolverine. 

This animal is found along the coast of America, from Labra- 
dor and Davis' Straits to the shores of the Pacific. Its length 
is three feet four inches, including the tail, which measures ten 
inches. It has a broad, compact head, and in the shape of its 
jaws resembles a dog. The back is arched, the tail bushy, the 
legs short, and it's whole aspect indicates strength, but not ac- 
tivity. The fur is like that of the black bear, but neither so 
long nor so fine. Its color is a dark brown. The claws are 
strong and sharp. Its tracks are like those of a bear, but are 
distinguished by the steps not being so long. 

This animal is also called the carcajou. It is carnivorous, 
and feeds principally on the carcasses of animals that have been 
killed by accident. It is very strong, and annoys the natives, by 
destroying their hoards of provision and demolishing their traps. 
It will follow the track of a marten trapper a long distance, 
merely to get the baits from his traps, which are usually the 
heads of partridges or small bits of meat. When they find any 
martens in them, they tear them to pieces, and hide them in the 
snow. The female wolverine brings forth from two to four 
young in a year. 

Cervus Tarandus Sylvestris. Woodland Caribou. 
The country of this deer is a stripe of low, primitive rocks, 
about an hundred miles wide, extending, at the distance of 
eighty miles from the shores of Hudson's Bay, from Lake At- 
hapescow to Lake Superior. Contrary to the practice of the bar- 
ren ground caribou, this animal travels southward in the spring. 
They pass the Nelson and Severn Rivers in May, in large herds, 
and return to the northward in September. 



490 APPENDIX. 

Cervus Tarandus. (Linn.) The Reindeer, or Caribou. 

Inhabits Spitzbergen and the northern extremity of the old 
continent, and has long been well known ; but it remains to be 
ascertained if the Caribou of America is the same species, 
though in all known particulars there is a great resemblance. 
They are found in Greenland, Labrador, and Newfoundland. 
They pass the summer on the sea shore or the barren grounds, 
and in winter retire to the woods. 

Cervus Tarandus, var. Arctica. Barren Ground Caribou. 

This variety is of small stature. The buck, when in good 
condition, weighs from ninety to an hundred and thirty pounds. 
The old males have large palmated horns ; the young ones and 
the does have them less branched and more cylindrical and 
pointed. During the growth of the horns, they are covered 
with a soft hairy skin, which is like velvet to the touch, and 
in their early stage their interior is of a consistence somewhat 
like marrow. They become indurated as they increase in size, 
and their hairy covering shrivels and peels off. 

In the month of July the barren-ground caribou sheds his 
winter covering. The closeness of its hair and the lightness of 
its skin renders the latter peculiarly suitable for winter gar- 
ments. 

Those of this species which resort to the Arctic Sea in sum- 
mer retire in the winter to the woods between the 63d and 66th 
degree of latitude, where they feed on lichens and the long grass 
of swamps. In May, the females proceed toward the sea, and 
toward the end of June the males take the same direction. 
Soon after their arrival on the coast, the females produce their 
young, and they commence their retreat southward in Septem- 
ber, after the snow has fallen. Except in the rutting season, 
the males and females live separately ; the former retire deep- 
er into the woods in winter, while herds of gravid does remain 
on the skirts of the barren grounds, and proceed to the sea very 
early in the spring. Capt. Parry saw deer on Melville Island 
as late as the 23d of September, and the females with their 
fawns made their first appearance on the 22d of April. 

Without the herds of caribou, the Indians of the Mackenzie 
and Coppermine would be unable to remain in their country. 



APPENDIX. 491 

They form fish-hooks and fish-spears of its horns, and before the 
introduction of iron, made ice-chisels and other instruments of 
them. The flesh serves for food, and the skin for clothing, tents, 
snares, nets, and in short for all the purposes of line and rope. 

Cervus Alces. (Linn.) Orignal, or Moose. 

Inhabits the northern parts of America, and was formerly 
found in the state of Maine. Like the reindeer its horns are 
palmated. It is a solitary animal, has the sense of hearing in 
great perfection, and is extremely shy and wary as well as 
timid. In the rutting season, or when wounded and brought to 
bay, the males become ferocious, and attack every creature that 
comes in their way, even man himself. The moose is capable 
of enduring great fatigue, sometimes running four days before 
the hunter in deep snow, before it can be overtaken. It is 
easily domesticated. 

The moose attains the weight of eleven or twelve hundred 
pounds : its horns weigh upwards of fifty pounds, and its shoul-. 
ders are higher than those of the horse. The neck is short and 
strong, and the head is more than two feet in length, withal 
clumsily shaped, swelling on the nostrils and the upper part of 
the nose. The eye is small and sunken, the ears asinine, the 
neck and withers are surmounted by a heavy mane, and the 
throat is covered with long hair and encumbered by a pendulous 
gland. The body is short, round, and compact ; the tail is no 
more than four inches in length, and the legs are very long, 
but clean and firm. 

Its movements are heavy, and the shoulders being higher 
than the croup, it does not gallop, but shuffles along, its joints 
cracking at every step. Increasing its speed, the hind legs 
straddle to avoid treading on its fore feet. In its progress, it 
holds its nose up so that the horns lie horizontally backward. 

The legs of the moose are so long and its neck so short, that 
it cannot graze like other deer, but browzes on h'gh plants and 
the leaves of trees. In winter, they feed on willows, and the 
smaller branches of the birch ; and though they have no front 
teeth in the upper jaw, the branches severed by them have the 
appearance of having been cut by a gardener's shears. 

The flesh of the moose is esteemed a delicacy. 



492 APPENDIX. 

Arctomys (Spermophilus) Parryi. (Richardson.) Parry' 's 
Marmot. 

Inhabits the barren grounds skirting the sea-coast from 
Churchill in Hudson's Bay, round by Melville Peninsula, and 
the whole northern shore of the continent to Bhering's Straits. 
Abounds near Fort Enterprise, and in all the northern parts 
of America. It is generally found in stony districts, but seems 
chiefly to delight in sandy hillocks asiong rocks, where bur- 
rows are seen crowded together. One of the society sits 
erect on the summit of the hillock, Avhile the others are feed- 
ing, and gives the alarm on the approach of danger. When 
their retreat to their burrows is cut off, they will hide their 
heads in the first crevice, leaving their hinder parts exposed. 
Their cry in this case is something like the sound of a watch- 
man's rattle. Their food is entirely vegetable, and they lay 
up a stock of it, never going abroad in the winter. 

Parry's marmot has cheek pouches, very short ears, and is 
thickly spotted above with white on a grey or black ground. 
Its length is about a foot, and that of its tail is about three 
inches. There are two varieties of this animal. 

The Musk Ox. Called Uming Mah } by the Esquimaux. 

The most barren and forbidding of the regions exposed to 
the influence of winter are the favorite resorts of the musk ox, 
which there appears to derive as much enjoyment from exist- 
ence as the animals found in milder climates and more fruitful 
lands. Destined to be constantly exposed to frost and storm, 
nature has taken good care to secure it against the effects of 
both ; first, by covering its body with a coat of long dense hair, 
and then, by shortening its limbs, avoiding the exposure which 
would result from a greater elevation. The projection of the 
eyes seems to be intended to carry the organ clear of the great 
quantity of hair upon its head. 

Musk oxen are found in the greatest numbers within the 
Arctic circle : considerable herds are sometimes seen, near 
the coast of Hudson's Bay from Knapp's Bay to Wager River. 
They have, though rarely, been seen as low as latitude 60° N. 
When they feed on open grounds, they prefer the most rocky 
and precipitous situations. Notwithstanding their bulk, and 



APPENDIX. 493 

apparent unwieldiness, they run well, and climb rocks with the 
ease and agility of goats. Their favorite food is grass ; but 
when it is not to be had, they feed on moss, willows, and the 
tender shoots of pine. 

The appearance of the musk ox is singular and imposing, 
owing to the shortness of the limbs, its broad, flattened, crooked 
horns, and the long hair which envelopes the whole of its 
trunk, and hangs down nearly to the ground. When full 
grown, it is ten hands and a half high, and weighs about seven 
hundred pounds. Its tail is no longer than that of a bear, and 
is entirely hid by the hair of its hinder parts. The hunch on 
the shoulders is small. The hair is in some parts very long, 
especially on the belly, sides and hind-quarters; but the longest, 
particularly on the bulls, is under the throat, extending from 
the chin to the loWer part of the chest, between the fore-legs, 
Where it is as long as the mane of a horse. 

Musk oxen commonly go in herds of eighty or an hundred, of 
which a very small proportion are bulls. It is uncommon to 
see more than two or three full-grown males even with" the 
largest herds. The Indians suppose that the males destroy 
one another, in combating for the females ; an opinion which is 
corroborated by their pugnacious disposition during the rut- 
ting season. The bulls are then so jealous of everything that 
approaches their mates, that they not only attack men and 
quadrupeds, but run after ravens or other large birds. 

When cut up, the flesh of the musk ox has the appearance of 
beef for the market. The flesh of the young cows and calves 
is palatable, but that of the old bulls is intolerably musky. A 
knife used to cut up such meat is so strongly scented, that 
much washing and scouring is necessary to remove the scent. 

The horns of this animal are converted into cups and spoons, 
by the Indians and Esquimaux ; and the skin makes good shoe 
soles. 

In August and September, the musk oxen extend their mi- 
grations to the North Georgian and other islands bordering 
the northern shores of the continent. Before the first of Oc- 
tober, they have all left the islands and moved south. 

42 



494 APPENDIX. 

The Narwal, Narwhale, or Sea Unicorn. 

We have given as much room to the description of the whale 
as we can spare, in that part of our volume which treats of 
Greenland. We shall therefore proceed to describe the nar- 
wal, which is found only in the arctic seas. 

The vertebral column of the narwal is about twelve feet 
long. There are seven cervical, twelve dorsal, and thirtyfive 
lumbar and caudal vertebrae, — in all fifty four, of which twelve 
are in the tail. The spinal marrow runs through them all, 
from the head of the fortieth, but does not penetrate the forty- 
first. The spinous processes diminish in length from the fif- 
teenth lumbar vertebra, until they are scarcely perceptible at the 
nineteenth. There are twelve slender ribs, six true and six 
false on each side. The sternum is heart shaped, with the 
broad part anteriorly. 

When full grown, the narwal is from thirteen to sixteen feet 
long, exclusive of the tusk ; and at the thickest part, which is 
two feet behind the fins, the circumference is about eight or 
nine feet. The perpendicular diameter, at the distance of 
twelve or fourteen inches from the tail, is about one foot ; the 
transverse about seven inches. The back is depressed, and 
flat, three or four feet posterior to the neck. 

The head forms about one seventh of the whole length of 
the animal, being small, blunt and round. The mouth is small, 
and incapable of much extension, with a wedge-shaped under 
lip. The largest diameter of the eyes is about an inch, and 
they are placed on a line with the opening of the mouth, about 
thirteen inches from the snout. The opening of the ear is six 
inches behind the eye, and is of the diameter of a small knitting- 
needle. The skull is concave above, and sends forth a large, 
flat wedge-shaped process in front, which affords sockets for 
the tusks. 

The spiracle or blow-hole is situated immediately over the 
eyes and is a single semicircular opening, of about three and a 
half inches in diameter, and one inch and a half long. It ex- 
pands immediately within the skin into a sac, or air-vessel, which 
extends laterally and forward into two cavities, one on each 
side. At the posterior extremity of the sac, the blow-holes are 
seen divided into two distinct canals in the skull, and are closed 
by a valve, one lobe of which covers each canal. 



APPENDIX. 495. 

The fins are twelve or fourteen inches long, and six or eight 
broad, at one-fifth of the length of the animal from the snout. 
They are not used in swimming or turning, but merely to pre- 
serve the balance of the animal. The skin resembles that of 
the whale, excepting that it is thinner. The cuticle is about as 
thin as writing-paper ; the rete mucosum three-eighths or three- 
tenths of an inch thick ; the cutis thin, but strong and compact, 
on the outside. 

The most remarkable peculiarity of this animal is the long 
spiral tusk, which has obtained for it the name of unicorn. It 
grows from the left side of the head, and is sometimes nine or 
ten feet long. It projects from the inferior part of the upper 
jaw, and points forward and slightly downward, being parallel in 
direction to the roof of the mouth. It is spirally striated from 
right to left, and tapers to a round, blunt point. It is of a yel- 
lowish white, and consists of a compact kind of ivory, and is 
usually hollow from the base to within a few inches of the point. 
A tusk of the average length, five feet, is about two inches and 
a half in diameter at the base, one inch and three-fourths in the 
middle, and about three-eighths within an inch of the end. In 
such a tusk there are five or six turns of the spiral, which ex- 
tends to within six or seven inches of the point. In addition to 
this external tooth, peculiar to the male, there is another on the 
right side of the head, about nine inches long, imbedded in the 
skull. Some instances have occurred of male narwals having 
been taken which had two external tusks. What purpose this 
weapon is intended to serve has never been ascertained. 

The nanval is a harmless animal, of an active disposition. 
While at the surface, these creatures, for the sake of respiring, 
frequently lie motionless for several minutes, with their heads 
and backs just above water. Occasionally small herds are seen 
together, each consisting of individuals of the same sex. 

The narwal feeds on molluscous animals, such as the cuttle-* 
fish, &c. Its whole body is covered with a layer of blubber, im- 
mediately under the skin, which yields a considerable quantity 
of fine oil. The Esquimaux employ the whole animal in vari- 
ous uses. The flesh is eaten, the oil burned, the intestines 
wrought into lines and clothing, and the tusks are used for 
spears. 



496 APPENDIX. 

Seals. Phocje. 

Seals, like other mamiferous animals, are provided with four 
limbs, though nothing but their extremities appear externally- 
being covered by the integument of the trunk, the fore-limbs to 
the wrist, the hinder to the heel. The digits of the fore-feet 
are successively shorter from the thumb, which is the longest. 
The posterior feet have the lateral digits either longer than the 
intermediate, or the whole nearly of an equal length. On the 
upper lip are whiskers : the tongue is smooth and bifid at the 
tip. The stomach is simple, the coecum short, the digestive 
tube long, and nearly equal in size. The heart is formed like 
that of terrestrial, warm-blooded animals. In their dental sys- 
tem there are three divisions: 1st, those having six superior 
and four inferior incisors : 2d, with four superior and four in- 
ferior : 3d, with four superior and two inferior. 

Seals are found on the sea-coasts throughout the world, but 
principally in the northern regions. They are viviparous, 
bringing forth and suckling their young on land ; they are poly- 
gamous and gregarious, living in large families together. They 
swim with admirable facility, remain for a considerable time 
under water, and derive their subsistence entirely from the sea. 
They sun themselves on the sea beach and on ice banks, scram- 
bling upon them by the aid of their flippers, or fore-feet. On 
land, their motions are awkward and heavy. They are vigilant, 
intelligent, and tenacious of life. 

Phoca "Vitulxna. (L.) The Common Seal. 

This species is found most numerous in high northern lati- 
tudes. It has a round head, and an aspect not unlike that of 
some varieties of the dog, whence the name of sea-dog. The 
extremity of the muzzle is flat and broad ; the posterior part of 
the head is large, and without bony projections ; the upper lip is 
peculiar, moveable, and extensible, garnished with strong, thick 
whiskers. It has no external ear, but instead of it, a small tu- 
bercle. The fore-limbs are short, and the feet have five digits, 
joined together by a membrane, having thick, long, black nails 
protruding from the extremities. 

The general color is a yellowish grey, spotted with brown, 



APPENDIX. 497 

or blackish, in various degrees, according to the age of the ani- 
mal. In advanced age, the color is whiter. The hair is close, 
and does not point entirely backward. The hairs are, indi- 
. vidually, stiff, flat, harsh, and pointed, yet slender. 

The powers of vision of the common seal are considerable, 
though it sees best in a moderate light. Its sense of smelling 
cannot be exercised to much advantage while the animal is un- 
der water. From the manner in which the whole external 
surface, excepting the end of the nose, is covered with hair, 
the sense of touch would appear to be slight, and the small 
size of the ears, as well as the manner in which they are com- 
monly immersed, leads to a belief that this organ also is not 
very acute. Notwithstanding these defects, the seal is capa- 
ble of some education, learns to distinguish his feeder, and to 
perform various actions when commanded. 

While engaged in feeding, the aspect of the seal is very 
different from what it is when the animal is quiescent. The 
upper lip is thickened and projected forward, the bristles or 
whiskers fiercely erected, and the nostrils dilated and closed 
with force. They feed and swallow under water with as 
much ease as in the air, but in a different manner. Under 
water they open their mouths but partially, and lower the under 
jaw, while they separate the lips at the extremity, apparently 
drawing in the prey by suction. 

In a state of captivity the seal is not timid, avoiding neither 
men nor animals, unless closely approached. They are not 
inclined to bite or injure persons, as long as no attempt is made 
to touch them with the hand, or otherwise disturb them ; but if 
annoyed, they snap fiercely, and strike with their flippers. 
Their characteristic vigilance never appears to desert them for 
a moment. 

The common seal brings forth two young in autumn, and 
suckles them on shore till they are six or seven weeks old, 
when they are gradually accustomed by their parents to fre- 
quent the sea. At this period, they are of a whitish or light 
fawn color, covered with soft or woolly hair, and when in dis- 
tress have a sort of whining voice. Seals are mostly associa- 
ted in families, consisting of a few males and a large number 
of females and young. They are fond of landing on the sea 



498 APPENDIX. 

beach, ledges of rocks, or ice-banks, for the purpose of basking 
in the sun ; • and in fine weather prefer remaining on the ice to 
being in the water. 

The seal is extremely vigilant, and whenever a herd of them 
visit the shore, some are always on the watch, and one, when 
alone, is very frequently observed to raise its head to discover 
the approach of enemies. Should they be on a large field of 
ice, they are careful to secure a retreat, by keeping near the 
edge of it, or keeping a hole open in the ice before them. The 
old ones are peculiarly distrustful ; the largest crowd of them 
instantly disperse at the approach of a boat. 

The food of the common seal is fish, crabs, and birds — which 
last it catches by rising under them and seizing their feet 
before they are aware. Feeding on much the same food as 
some whales, the latter are not found where seals are very 
abundant. 

ihat part of the arctic seas where seals most abound is in 
the vicinity of Jan Mayen's Island. 

Phoca Ckistata. (L.) The Hooded Seal. 

1 his seal is most, commonly found on the shores of Green- 
land, of Davis' Strait, and occasionally of Newfoundland. 
The species is very obviously distinguished by the singular ap- 
pendage it has on the head, formed by an extension of the skin 
of the front, which communicates with the nostrils, and can be 
inflated or elevated and depressed at the pleasure of the animal. 
The size of this hood, which extends from the end of the snout 
to live inches behind the eyes, is twelve inches, and its height 
nine. Through the anterior part of this hood the nostrils open, 
each two inches in diameter ; and when the hood is not dis- 
tended, the cartilaginous partition of the nose may be felt from 
the outside, rising about six inches at its greatest elevation. 
Internally the hood is strongly muscular : externally it is cov- 
ered with short, bright, brown hairs. 

The use of this curious structure is unknown. Perhaps it 
may be intended to protect the eyes ; but other seals, that live 
in circumstances of equal exposure, have no such defence. 

The h6oded seal is seven feet long, from the centre of the 
chin to the root of the tail, which is six inches and a half long, 



APPENDIX. 499 

and three broad at its base. The body is cylindrical, gradual- 
ly decreasing to the tail, which is flat, and tapers to a point ; 
and the whole skin is covered with flat hairs about an inch in 
length. The color is grey and dark brown. The head, when 
the hood is not distended, appears small, compared with the 
body, and the eyes are large and of a dark greenish hue. The 
orifices of the ears are like those of other seals. 

The flippers are like those of the common seal, but appear 
small in proportion to the size of the animal. Each digit is 
furnished with a strong, compressed, channelled claw. The 
hinder paws are of the same length as the flippers, and lunated 
at their extremities, which are fifteen inches broad when ex- 
panded. They have five depressed claws. The teeth are 
thirty in number ; above, four incisors, two canine, and ten jaw 
teeth ; below, two incisors, two canine, and ten jaw teeth. 

Phoca Carbata. (Mull.) The Great Seal. 

This seal, which grows to the length of ten or twelve feet, 
is found in the Greenland seas, and on the northern extremes 
of this continent. It commonly rests on floating ice. 

Its skin is about half an inch thick, and is covered with black 
hair, which in summer is almost entirely shed, leaving the ani- 
mal bare. The whiskers are long, pellucid and white. The 
middle digits of the fore-feet are longer than the others, which 
in relative length are like the fingers of the human hand. 

The great seal breeds in the month of March, having a sin- 
gle cub, usually upon the ice among the islands ; it approaches 
the land more closely at that season than at any other. In 
habits and general appearance it resembles the common seal. 

Phoca Grtenlandica. (Mull.) The Harp Seal. 

The harp seal measures from six to nine feet, from the tip 
of the nose to the end of the tail, which is from five to seven 
inches long. In circumference, at the thickest part of the body, 
it is from four to six feet. It has a round head and high fore- 
head, with a short nose and large black eyes. No seal varies 
its color so much as this. 

The harp seal is common in the Greenland seas, where it 
frequents the deep bays, migrates twice a year, going in March 



500 APPENDIX. 

and returning in May, and again in June to return in Septem- 
ber. The breeding season begins in July, and the female has 
one cub near the end of March, or in the beginning of April, 
which she suckles on fragments of ice remote from land. 

The harp seal is incautious, and has much of the frolicsome 
disposition of the common seal. This species lives in great 
herds, that swim apparently under the direction of a leader, 
who watches over the safety of the whole. They do not fre- 
quent the fixed ice, but the floes. This seal has a large quan- 
tity of blubber, which yields a larger quantity of oil than is ob- 
tained from any other seal. 

Phoca FffiTiDA. (Mull.) The Fetid Seal 
The fetid seal, when full grown, is four feet and a half long. 
The hair does not lie smooth, but is rough and similar to that 
of a pig. The old animals are very fetid, and their nauseous 
odor taints their flesh and fat equally. 

The head is short and rounded, the snout forming a third of 
its length. The eyes are small, the iris brown. In other re- 
spects it is like the common seal. It frequents the ice near 
frozen land, and never leaves its haunts when old. It is solita- 
ry in its habits, pairs being seldom seen together. It is not a 
timid animal, and often falls a prey to the eagle, being taken 
while asleep on the surface. Its fetor does not hinder the 
Greenlanders and Esquimaux from eating it. 

Phoca Ursina. (L.) The Ursine Seal. 

This is a large animal, being, when full grown, eight feet long 
and five in circumference, and weighs about eight hundred 
pounds. The female is much smaller than the male. The 
anterior part of the body is thick, the posterior slender, and 
tapering to the tail. 

The ursine seal differs from most other seals in having the 
anterior limbs entirely at liberty, or not covered by the integu- 
ment of the body. The wrist, bones of the palm, and di- 
gits, are covered with a naked skin. The thumb is the longest 
of the digits, which decrease in length successively to the little 
or external one. All of them have a small nail. The poste- 
rior extremities are twentytwo inches long, and articulated like 



APPENDIX. 501 

those of other seals, but, owing to their length, can be used to 
scratch the head. They have five toes, united by a web, 
which, when spread, gives a breadth of twelve inches. This 
species is principally found on the islands between America 
and Kamschatka, where they lie on the shores in vast herds, 
each male having from eight to thirty or more females. 

The Walrus, or Morse. 

These animals resemble seals in the form of their bodies 
and anterior extremities. They have a round head, small 
eyes, and no external ears. The orifices of the nostrils are 
far distant from the upper lips. The posterior feet are hori- 
zontally placed, and have five digits, of which the two exter- 
nal are the longest — all provided with small incurvated nails, 
and connected by a membrane. The most striking pecu- 
liarity of the genus is the tusks, or prolonged canine teeth, 
which descend from the superior maxillary bone and project 
far below the lower jaw, serving the animal as offensive wea- 
pons, as well as in climbing on ice-banks, &c. 

The walrus is found on the shores of the islands between 
America and Kamschatka, about Spitsbergen, and on the coasts 
of Hudson's Bay and Davis' Straits. It attains the size of an 
ox, being, when full grown, from twelve to fifteen feet in length 
and from eight to ten in girth. The skin of the walrus is about 
an inch thick. The hair is short, and of a yellowish brown 
color. 

On land the walrus is a slow, clumsy animal ; in the water 
its motions are quick and easy. It is a fearless, and, when not 
disturbed, an inoffensive animal. The ivory tusks are from 
ten to thirtysix inches long, and have been known to weigh 
ten pounds. The circumference of one twentyseven inches, 
long, is about eight inches at the base. 



